ONE  RELIGION:  MANY  CREEDS. 


B  T 


ROSS    WIN  AN  S 

\\ 


"/  believe  in  God  the  Father  Almighty,  Maker  of  Heaven 
and  Earth,  and  of  all  Things   Visible  and  Invisible." 

BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRAYER. 


SECOND  EDITION. 


BALTIMORE: 
JOHN   P.    DES   FORGES, 

3  ST.  PAUL  STREET. 

1870. 


ENTERED,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1870.  by 

KOSS    \V  IN  ANS, 
In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  Maryland. 


PREFACE. 


IN  offering  to  the  public,  now  put  together  in  form, 
what  was  originally  a  series  of  papers,  we  desire,  at  the 
beginning,  to  set  ourselves  right  as  to  its  originality — be 
it  more  or  less.  We  are  equally  anxious  to  avoid  the 
imputation  of  having  used  any  other  man's  thoughts  with- 
out acknowledgment,  and  of  having  perverted  to  our  own 
ends  any  borrowed  ideas  or  language.  The  necessity  for 
some  explanation  on  this  point  will,  perhaps,  be  made 
more  obvious,  and  the  explanation  more  easy,  if  we  state 
simply  and  candidly  the  circumstances  under  which  what 
follows  was  composed — or  compiled. 

In  the  course  of  contemplating  man's  duty  to  his 
Maker,  to  his  fellow  man,  and  to  himself,  we  drew  the 
conclusions  that  are  embodied  in  the  following  pages. 
These  were  at  times  committed  to  writing,  but  without 
any  view  to  publication.  They  were  in  the  main  definite 
enough ;  but,  coming  from  a  pen  unused  to  literary  labor, 
they  were  lacking  in  method  and  finish.  At  a  later 
period,  and  during  a  residence  in  Europe,  we  fell  in  with 
a  variety  of  books  on  kindred  topics,  full  of  research  and 
scholarship,  well  arranged,  well  argued,  cogent,  convinc- 
ing. Recognizing  their  value  in  the  available  information 
they  contained  and  the  striking  manner  in  which  it  was 
conveyed,  we  extracted — without  ceremony — here  a  pas- 
sage, and  there  a  phrase,  and  wove  them  in  among  our 


iv  PREFACE. 

own.  It  was  not  so  much  that  we  were  impressed  with 
the  force  and  novelty  of  the  ideas  of  others ;  we  were 
glad  rather  to  find  ready  at  hand  the  means  of  expressing 
and  elucidating  what  we  had  thought  and  felt.  In  parts 
even,  where  the  very  language  of  some  popular  author 
has  been  adopted,  as  eminently  fit  to  serve  our  purpose, 
it  will  be  seen  that  our  conclusions  are  essentially  differ- 
ent from  his.  To  have  given  him  credit  therefore  at  the 
moment,  by  foot  note  or  otherwise,  might  have  laid  us 
open  to  the  charge  of  having  garbled  or  misrepresented 
him.  Besides,  at  the  time  when  we  availed  ourselves  of 
the  facilities  then  open  before  us,  we  made  no  memoran- 
dum of  the  sources  whence  we  borrowed.  At  a  still  later 
period,  and  with  a  view  to  completing  and  publishing  the 
papers  here  expanded  into  a  volume,  we  sought  the  occa- 
sional aid  of  pens  more  methodical  and  facile  than  our 
own.  The  result  has  been,  that  the  original  portions 
became  inextricably  mingled  with  what  was  borrowed 
and  what  was  amended.  If  we  would  separate  them,  we 
should  find  it  difficult,  if  not  impossible — remote  as  we 
are  from  the  libraries  to  which  we  resorted. 

In  short,  we  beg  to  state  without  reserve,  that  we  have 
borrowed  freely  from  any  quarter,  when  we  held  that  the 
cause  of  truth  could  be  served  thereby.  Furthermore,  we 
shall  endeavor,  by  aid  of  inquiry  and  memory,  to  make 
out  and  publish,  at  the  end  of  this  work,  a  complete  list 
of  the  authors  to  whom  we  have  been  indebted. 


INTRODUCTORY. 


WHAT  is  here  presented  we  desire  shall  be  viewed 
and  considered  as  an  enquiry  on  behalf  of  truth.  Our 
stand-point  is  the  omnipotence  and  perfection  of  the  One 
God,  a  sense  of  whose  existence  is  an  instinct  common  to 
our  race,  and  who  governs  man  solely  by  the  properties 
originally  implanted  in  him.  Our  belief  is,  that  man 
being  thus  governed,  and  trained  through  time  and  during 
eternity,  a  good  and  happy  result  must  ensue  to  each 
individual. 

The  history  of  the  human  race  shows  that  various  and 
widely  varying  forms  of  worship,  creeds,  doctrines,  dog- 
mas, and  theologies  have  been  propounded,  preached,  and 
pressed  upon  the  attention  of  man,  at  different  times  and 
in  different  countries.  We  believe,  however,  that  there 
is  but  one  religion  existing  in  any  country,  or  in  any  age, 
that  is  acceptable  to  God  ;  that  whatever  else  takes  upon 
it  the  name,  form,  or  guise  of  religion  is  of  no  practical 
value. 

The  sense  of  true  religion — as  well  as  every  other 
faculty  and  power  of  the  mind,  and  soul  of  man — is 
implanted  in  each  and  every  one  born  into  the  world. 
Out  of  it,  as  from  a  germ,  comes  and  ever  will  come, 
spontaneously — as  the  tree  comes  from  the  acorn — all 
that  man  ever  has  been,  or  ever  will  be.  It  makes  him 
what  he  is,  and  gives  him  what  he  has,  whether  of 


vi  INTRODUCTORY. 

morals,  science,  arts,  civilization,  or  anything  else  that 
pertains  to  his  mental  or  spiritual  being.  And  this  one 
and  only  true  religion  God  has  so  indelibly  engraved  on 
the  heart  and  conscience  of  every  accountable  human 
being  as  to  ensure  that  all  men  shall  eventually  worship 
Him  acceptably,  and  be  made  happy  themselves,  not- 
withstanding many  adverse  appearances  here. 

History  shows  that  this  religion  of  the  heart  and  con- 
science is  intermingled  with  all  the  different  theological 
systems,  of  which  we  have  knowledge.  This  also  is  the 
only  ingredient  that  is  common  to  them  all ;  whence  it 
may  be  inferred,  that  it  is  best  adapted  for  man's  wants 
and  God's  requirements ;  in  short,  that  it  is  the  only 
religion  ordained  and  approved  by  God.  Nor  can  any 
amount  of  false  teaching  eradicate,  or  render  it  inop- 
erative. Moreover,  since  God  never  changes,  it  will 
never  change.  It  operates  as  God  willed  it  should,  to 
shape  the  lives  and  conduct  of  men,  and  to  restrain  them 
within  the  limits  prescribed  by  the  free  agency  which  He 
has  granted  to  "them.  Whatever  worship  or  reverence 
man  renders  to  God — whatever  morality  or  goodness  he 
manifests  in  his  intercourse  with  men — all  are  derived 
from  this  source  and  prompting  alone.  Whatever  of 
irreverence,  immorality,  impiety,  or  wrong-doing  he  prac- 
tises, in  spite  of  this  religion,  finds  no  restraint  in  any 
other ;  no,  not  even  in  that  which  makes  use  of  the  threat 
of  eternal  punishment,  to  intimidate  him.  Further,  we 
believe  that  the  divine  government  was  made  perfect 
from  the  first,  and  therefore,  not  being  subject  to  altera- 
tion or  amendment,  there  are  no  such  things  as  special,  or 
supernatural  providences,  all  occurrences  taking  place 
under  guidance  of  the  never  varying  laws  of  Nature. 
Again:  we  believe  that  all  rewards  and  punishments  are 


INTRODUCTORY.  vii 

alike  benevolently  intended ;  that  the  latter,  though 
never  vindictive,  are  never  relaxed,  and  that  both  are 
designed  by  God  for  the  sole  purpose  of  training  man  to 
the  destiny  marked  out  for  him.  This  training,  which 
begins  on  this  side  of  the  grave,  continues  beyond  it,  and 
during  eternity,  to  the  end  that  every  human  being  shall 
become  more  and  more  god-like,  and  capable  of  appre- 
ciating God's  glory  and  rendering  Him  higher  praise  and 
worship. 

From  these  remarks  it  will  be  seen  that  while  we 
accept  every  portion  of  the  Bible  that  is  in  accordance 
with  the  Bible  written  in  men's  hearts — or  in  other 
words,  with  natural  religion — we  repudiate  all  that  pro- 
fesses to  be  based  upon  its  supernatural  or  special  inspira- 
tion. 

We  object  to  what  the  Church  demands,  an  unbounded 
and  unjustifiable  confidence  in  the  infallibility  of  the 
writings  of  Moses  arid  the  Prophets,  and  the  Evangelists, 
and  the  Apostles.  We  dissent  from  a  sentimental  attach- 
ment to  an  impossible  compound  of  God  and  man.  We 
protest  that  Christian  theology,  as  we  have  it,  is  not 
taught  by  God  Himself,  nor  by  Christ  himself,  nor  is  it 
consistent  with  established  facts,  nor  is  it  comprehensible 
by  our  reason.  We  would  show  you  that  Christianity, 
as  taught  among  us,  is  no  better  than  other  systems 
taught  in  other  than  Christian  countries,  and  in  some 
respects  not  so  good. 

These  are  the  objects  of  this  publication.  If  in  the 
course  of  presenting  our  views,  any  thing  should  be  said 
which  may  be  deemed  offensive  or  disrespectful  to  those 
who  hold  contrary  opinions,  certainly  no  such  offence  or 
disrespect  is  intended.  We  write  under  an  honest  con- 
viction of  the  truth,  and  yield  nothing  to  preconceived 


viii  INTRODUCTORY. 

views.  Truth  is  truth,  and  will  find  its  way  to  the  sur- 
face. Shrieks  and  lamentations  over  the  scepticism  and 
free-thinking  of  the  nineteenth  century  will  not  serve  the 
purpose  of  concealing  it.  Nor  is  it  desirable  that  it 
should  be  concealed.  We  must  believe,  not  what  it  is 
convenient,  or  comfortable,  or  customary  to  believe;  but 
what  is  most  in  accordance  with  truth.  Truth,  and  not 
what  is  called  orthodoxy,  should  be  our  prime  object.  It 
is  not  enough,  to  maintain  what  we  believe ;  we  must 
believe  what  we  maintain.  Any  one  may  bring  himself 
to  give  blind  assent  to  that  which  he  is  inclined  to  believe, 
or  thinks  it  becoming  or  expedient  to  believe,  but  this  is 
not  genuine  belief.  It  is  one  thing  to  wish  to  have  truth 
on  our  side;  and  another  to  wish,  in  all  sincerity,  to  be  on 
the  side  of  truth.  If  the  conclusions,  at  which  we  arrive, 
have  the  weight  of  evidence  in  their  favor,  we  have  no 
alternative  but  to  accept  them  and  bide  the  results. 
Neither  is  there  occasion  to  contemplate  with  uneasiness 
the  admission  of  truth,  or  the  result  of  being  governed  by 
it,  in  any  matters  whatsoever,  and  more  particularly  in 
those  pertaining  to  religion.  God  did  not  endow  us  with 
perceptive  and  reasoning  faculties,  in  order  that  they 
might  be  employed  upon  all  other  subjects,  and  remain 
torpid  in  relation  to  that  one  subject  only.  We  hold  to 
it,  therefore,  that  the  truth  must  be  accepted  at  all  haz- 
ards, even  if  it  lead  to  a  denial  of  the  supernatural  inspi- 
ration of  Scripture  and  all  dogmas  connected  therewith, 
which  we  are  fully  persuaded  it  will  do. 

Nor,  we  repeat  it,  need  the  prospect  of  this  alarm 
the  most  timid.  God,  the  Father,  who  alone  governed 
the  world  from  the  first,  governs  it  now,  and  will  ever 
govern  it.  No  broader  foundation  for  the  faith  of  all 
men  in  their  eternal  welfare  is  possible,  than  that  laid  by 


INTRODUCTORY.  ix 

God  Himself  when  He  established  his  never  changing 
laws ;  and  when  He  so  constituted  and  endowed  man, 
that  under  the  influence  and  effect  of  such  unvarying  laws, 
he  should  be  conducted  to  the  happy  destiny  designed  for 
him  from  the  first.  The  only  fear  in  these  matters, 
becoming  to  man,  is  a  fear  lest  he  fail  in  watchfulness  to 
guard  against  violations  of  God's  laws  pertaining  to  his 
being ;  lest  he  fail  in  any  portion  of  his  duty  to  God  and 
to  his  fellow-creatures.  All  else  may  be  implicitly  left 
to  his  Maker  and  benefactor. 

In  all  countries,  whether  civilized  or  uncivilized,  the 
popular  system  of  theology  has  invariably  been  claimed 
to  be  based  on  some  supernatural  revelation  from  God. 

The  founders  or  acknowledged  heads  of  these  systems 
have  claimed,  or  it  has  been  claimed  for  them  by  their 
followers,  that  they  were  supernaturally  inspired,  and 
miraculously  and  specially  endowed  and  commissioned  of 
God  to  make  His  will  and  word  known  to  mankind. 
Among  the  persons  claiming  or  who  have  been  claimed, 
to  have  been  so  inspired  and  commissioned,  and  who 
have  gained  extensive*  credence  in  such  claim,  are  the 
following:  Moses,  the  great  leader,  historian,  and  Prophet 
of  the  Jews,  fourteen  or  fifteen  hundred  years  before 
Christ ;  Zoroaster,  who  founded  the  theology  that  prevails 
among  the  Parsees,  certainly  not  less  than  twelve  hun- 
dred years  before  Christ,  Confucius,  born  five  hundred  and 
fifty-one  years  before  Christ,  the  most  eminent  teacher  of 
natural  religion  in  the  great  Chinese  nation  ;  Buddha, 
who  founded  a  system  of  worship  in  India,  called  Buddh- 
ism, five  hundred  years  before  Christ;  Godama,  who, 
also  about  five  hundred  years  before  Christ,  founded  the 
system  of  worship  which  now  prevails  in  the  Burmese 
Empire,  Christ,  the  claimed  basis  of  the  Christian  theol- 


x  INTRODUCTORY. 

ogy;  and  Mohammed,  the  founder  of  the  Mohammedan 
creed. 

Among  the  so-called  sacred  books  embodying  systems 
of  theology  and  said  to  be  derived  from  supernatural 
inspiration  are  the  following.  The  Old  Testament  of  the 
Jews;  the  Zend-Avesta  of  the  Parsees  ;  the  Great  Learn- 
ing of  the  Chinese ;  the  Rig  Veda  of  the  Hindoos ;  the 
Vini  Pidimot  of  the  Burmese  Empire;  the  Christian 
Bible  ;  and  the  Koran. 

All  or  most  of  the  church  dogmas,  legends,  fables,  and 
traditions,  in  relation  to  the  miraculous  conception,  birth, 
miracles,  and  other  pretended  supernatural  circumstances 
connected  with  the  history  of  Jesus,  are  borrowed  from — 
or  find  their  counterpart  in — the  several  systems  of  wor- 
ship founded  and  practised  from  four  to  twelve  centuries 
before  his  birth. 

The  historic  part  of  the  Bible,  in  relation  to  the  crea- 
tion of  the  world,  has  its  counterpart  also  in  the  several 
systems  of  theology  here  mentioned.  They  all  had  their 
cosmologies  based  on  equally  good  authority  and  equally 
wide  of  the  truth,  as  that  recorded  in  the  Bible.  This 
will  appear  hereafter,  when  we  come  to  look  into  the 
history  of  the  Ancient  creeds  just  mentioned.  The  time 
and  manner  of  the  creation,  no  man  has  ever  known,  or 
ever  will  know,  in  this  life ;  nor  is  such  knowledge  of 
importance  in  preparing  ourselves  for  the  life  to  come. 


ONE  KELIG1ON:  MANY  CKEEDS. 


I. 

MAN  needs  no  teaching  to  be  convinced  that  there  is  a 
God,  the  creator,  the  sustainer,  the  preserver,  and  the 
governor  of  the  universe.  The  idea  is  innate,  imperative, 
and  essential,  and  declares  itself  in  the  mind  and  con- 
science so  soon  as  the  human  being  begins  to  observe,  to 
compare,  and  to  reason.  There  is  no  one,  however  rude 
or  ignorant — unless  he  be  idiotic,  or  otherwise  incapable 
of  consecutive  thought — who  has  not  some  notion,  how- 
ever vague,  of  this  great  and  almighty  Being.  There  is 
no  one  in  the  exercise  of  his  intellectual  faculties,  who 
would  not  recognize  the  existence  of  a  God  as  an  absolute 
and  necessary  truth,  even  if  there  had  been  no  other 
book  to  teach  it,  than  the  great  book  of  Nature.  The 
earth,  the  sea,  the  sun,  the  moon,  and  all  the  hosts  of 
Heaven,  spread  out  before  him  in  their  infinite  beauty 
and  majesty,  each  silently  but  eloquently  and  irresistibly 
proclaims  that  they  have  had  a  divine,  omnipotent, 
eternal,  and  infinite  cause  and  maker.  Man  has,  more- 
over, not  alone  an  intuitive  conviction  of  the  existence 
of  an  overruling  Spirit,  he  is  conscious  that  he  has 
within  himself  a  soul,  in  affinity — in  a  limited  sense — 
with  that  great  overruling  Spirit. 


2  SOME   PRETEND  TO   INSPIRATION. 

But  while  all  men  are  thus  conscious  not  only  that 
God  is,  but  that  God  must  be,  and  that  the  spirit  of  man 
bears  a  certain  relation  to  Him,  some  men,  pretending 
to  be  preternatural ly  and  directly  inspired'  by  God  to 
declare  His  will  and  to  explain  His  nature  and  His 
attributes,  have  made  assertions  and  propounded  doc- 
trines, at  various  times  and  among  various  nations,  that 
have  greatly  bewildered  the  minds  of  their  fellow-men. 
These  artificial  teachings  and  vain  imaginings — whether 
they  be  called  mythologies,  theologies,  religions,  faiths, 
or  systems  of  belief — contradict  each  other  on  the  most 
vital  and  fundamental  points.  Some  of  them  assert  that 
there  is  but  one  God,  and  that  He  is  not  only  spiritual, 
but  physicial  and  material,  having  a  body  and  organs 
like  a  man.  Some  have  exalted  human  attributes,  cloth- 
ing humanity  in  beautiful  or  majestic  forms,  and  have 
deified  their  own  production.  Some  have  adopted  a  pre- 
cisely opposite  course,  and  have  invented  fantastic  and 
hideous  divinities.  Some  deny  God's  personality,  and 
teach  that  all  Nature  is  the  body,  of  which  he  is  the 
animating  soul.  Some  say  that  there  are  two  Gods,  one 
the  God  of  good,  the  other  the  God  of  evil — and  that  the 
two  are  constantly  at  war  with  each  other.  Others  main- 
tain that  there  are  three  Gods,  co-eternal  and  co-equal  in 
power,  in  wisdom,  and  in  glory,  and  that  these  three 
are  one,  and  must  be  worshipped  as  one.  The  second 
person — say  they — in  this  triune  divinity  stands  toward 
the  first  in  the  relation  of  the  Son  to  the  Father ;  while 
the  third  also  is  a  person,  and  proceeds  from  the  Father 
and  the  Son.  The  earliest  nations  appear  to  have  been 
taught,  either  that  the  sun — the  most  glorious  lumi- 
nary visible  to  the  unassisted  human  eye — was  God,  or 
that  the  number  of  the  Gods  was  as  infinite  as  the 


SIGNS  AND   CREEDS    AT    VAiUANCE.  3 

manifestations  of  Nature.  Even  Abraham  and  Moses, 
who  believed  and  taught  the  unity  of  God,  attributed 
to  this  all-wise,  all-just,  all-good,  all-knowing,  and  all- 
mighty  being,  the  form  of  a  man.  Moses  pretended  to 
have  talked  with  him  face  to  face  "as  a  man  talkt-th 
with  his  friend,"  and  declared  that  he  had  been  permitted 
to  see  His  "back  parts."  In  -the  Pentateuch,  and  indeed 
throughout  both  the  Old  and  New  Testaments,  God  is 
described  as  being  ignorant  and  ahort-sigbled,  and  pos- 
sessing many  of  the  passions  of  the  human  creatures 
whom  He  Himself  has  made. 

Creeds  and  modes  of  worship  have  been  many  and 
various  ;  but  there  is  not  one  of  them  now  accepted  in 
the  world,  which  has  not,  however  pure  and  lofty  some 
may  be  in  their  moral  teachings,  promulgated  and  endea- 
vored to  palm  upon  popular  credence  the  m  >st  astounding 
scientific  and  historical  errors  and  untruths.  Thus  they 
have  acted,  to  some  extent,  as  a  drag  upon  the  intellect, 
and  an  impediment  to  the  progress  of  mankind.  They 
were  written  for  the  most  part  by  priests  of  the  various 
theologies  and  forms  of  faith  which  they  were  designed  to 
uphold,  and  often  with  the  too  palpable  purpose  of  keep- 
ing the  people  in  ignorance  and  of  maintaining  the  priest- 
hood as  a  privileged  class.  All  of  them  of  Asiatic  origm 
and  authorship,  and  declared  in  their  several  countries  to 
be  the  direct,  infallible,  unerring  utterances  of  God,  they 
have  given  currency  to  the  most  vulgar  and  debasing 
fictions,  and  represented  God  as  something  like  an  Orien- 
tal Caliph  or  Sultan,  subject  to  lusts  and  vices  and  fits 
of  cruel  anger,  and  constantly  liable  to  be  thwarted  in 
His  designs  by  powers  of  evil  whom  He  desired,  but  was 
not  able,  to  destroy. 


4  ONE  RELIGION:  MANY  CREEDS. 

All  these  myths  and  dreams  have  varied  in  different 
ages  and  countries,  according  to  the  character  of  the 
nations  which  adopted  and  nominally  believed  them,  and 
they  have  come  down  to  us  from  an  antiquity  so  remote, 
as  to  be  impenetrable.  They  are  partly  to  be  traced  to 
the  most  ancient  civilization,  the  record  of  which  has 
been  preserved  by  tradition  and  sepulchral  monuments — 
and  notably  to  India,  Assyria,  Phoenicia,  and  Egypt. 
In  their  original  forms  these  mythologies  have  perished — 
except  in  India  and  non-Mahommedan  Asia,  where  they 
are  still  accepted  by  the  unreasoning  multitudes  of  half 
the  human  race. 

A  portion,  however,  of  these  fables,  greatly  modified 
in  form  and  detail,  was  borrowed  from'  the  Egyptians, 
first  by  the  Jews  under  Moses,  and  secondly  by  the  Ara- 
bians under  Mahomet.  So  far  as  the  books  attributed  to 
Moses  and  other  priests  and  prophets  of  the  Hebrews,  are 
concerned,  these  fables  are  held  forth  to  this  day  as 
grounds  for  belief  and  guides  for  conduct  to  all  the  so- 
called  Christian  nations  of  the  world.  We,  as  Chris- 
tians— according  to  the  common  acceptation  of  the  term — 
and  sharers  in  the  advancing  civilization  of  the  nineteenth 
century,  are  mainly  interested  in  the  theology  and  doc- 
trines of  Moses  and  Jesus.  All  other  systems  of  belief, 
except  natural  religion,  which  is  universal,  being  accepted 
of  all  men  in  all  places,  modern  civilization  has  agreed  to 
condemn.  Even  the  most  devout  Christian  laughs  at 
the  grotesque  stories,  and  speaks  with  contemptuous  pity 
of  the  superstitious  absurdities  of  all  mythologies  except 
his  own.  But  let  his  own  rules  of  criticism  be  applied  to 
the  Old  and  New  Testament,  and  it  will  immediately  be 
condemned  as  heretical ;  and  the  critic  himself  will  be 
accused  of  impiety  and  infidelity.  This  very  state  of 


THE  JEWS  BUT  LITTLE   KNOWN.  5 

things  prevails  in  Asia,  where  the  teachings  of  Moses  and 
Christ  receive  as  little  respect  from  the  priests  of  Oriental 
theologies,  as  Christians  bestow  upon  the  myths  of  the 
Hindoos,  or  the  nihilism  improperly  attributed  to  the 
Buddhists. 

Up  to  the  birth  of  Jesus,  the  Jews  had  their  cosmogony 
and  theology  entirely  to  themselves.  The  outer  world 
knew  nothing  of  their  sacred  books ;  and,  indeed,  only 
knew  the  Jews  themselves  as  a  small  and  peculiar  people, 
in  whom  there  was  nothing  to  esteem  or  imitate.  No 
one  challenged  their  doctrine,  for  the  reason  that  no 
one  understood  or  cared  anything  about  it.  Whatever 
schism  or  difference  of  opinion  may  have  existed  among 
them,  in  their  own  little  country,  was  on  minor  matters, 
and  Moses  and  the  Prophets  seemingly  reigned  supreme. 
But  a  different  state  of  things  was  about  to  prevail. 
Jesus,  known  during  his  life  as  the  son  of  a  carpenter, 
and  claiming  direct  royal  descent  from  David  and  Solo- 
mon, challenged  the  truth  of  this  ancient  system,  and 
became  a  most  conspicuous  reformer.  He  protested 
chiefly  against  the  superstitious  ceremonies  of  the  Mosaic 
ritual.  His  protest  was  indeed  partial,  though,  as  far  as 
it  went,  strong  and  decided.  It  was  a  very  important 
movement  towards  separating  that  which  was  claimed  to 
be  religion,  from  that  which  was  and  is  really  religion — 
between  that  which  causes  contention,  and  that  which  all 
agree  upon. 

But  veVy  little  progress  had  been  made  amongst  the 
Jews  in  the  arts  and  sciences — indeed  very  little  was 
made  for  a  long  time  after  the  introduction  of  Christianity. 
The  printing  press,  that  grand  medium  for  the  dissemina- 
tion of  knowledge,  is  comparatively  a  modern  invention, 
not  having  been  introduced  until  the  middle  of  the  fif- 


6  ONE  RELIGION:  MANY  CREEDS. 

teenth  century.  There  were  no  microscopes  to  reveal  to 
the  delighted  intellect  of  man  the  wonders  that  lie  con- 
cealed in  apparent  nothingness-r-no  telescopes  to  unveil 
to  him  the  countless  worlds  and  planetary  systems  which, 
but  for  it,  never  would  have  been  discovered.  The  law 
of  gravitation — that  universal,  infinite,  governing  power, 
by  which  the  whole  universe  is  sustained — was  unsus- 
pected. Electricity,  known  probably  to  some  extent,  was 
employed  only  in  tricks  and  artifices  to  startle  and  sur- 
prise those  who  were  ignorant  of  its  effects.  The  science 
of  Geology  was  very  imperfect.  Astrology  was  far  more 
esteemed  than  Astronomy.  The  earth  was  thought  by  all 
nations  to  be  the  centre  of  the  universe.  The  sun  was 
looked  upon  as  nothing  more  than  a  lamp  hung  in  the 
heavens  to  give  light  to  this  superior  orb.  Indeed  it  was 
not  even  known  to  be  an  orb ;  the  idea  prevailed,  that  it 
was  a  vast  extended  plane  without  visible  limits. 

Under  these  circumstances,  Jesus  could  make  no  protest 
against  the  Mosaic  history  or  tradition.  He  was  neces- 
sarily compelled  to  accept  these  as  he  found  them. 
Rejecting  the  Mosaic  notion  of  the  character  and  attri- 
butes of  God,  he  earnestly  protested  against  the  doctrine 
that  the  Deity,  whose  gospel  he  preached,  was  a  God  of 
hatred  or  anger,  or  subject  to  the  passions  or  imperfections 
of  humanity.  He  loudly  proclaimed  in  the  highways  and 
the  byways,  and  to  all  descriptions  of  people — but  chiefly 
to  the  poor  and  the  unhappy — that  God  is  a  God  of  Love, 
a  Spirit  to  be  worshipped  in  spirit  and  in  truth,  a  God 
who  demands  of  His  creatures  no  vain  observances,  no 
heavy  burdens  of  ceremonials,  but  a  cheerful,  happy 
enjoyment  of  life,  provided  they  keep  within  the  limits 
of  the  divine  laws,  which  are  neither  galling  nor  heavy, 
but  easy,  light,  and  good.  He  adopted  so  much  of  the 


JESUS'  PROTEST  ONLY  PARTIAL.        7 

ten  commandments  as  accords  with  natural  religion.  He 
very  wisely  rejected  all  that  does  not  teach  the  two  great 
duties,  love  to  God  and  love  to  man.  "If  thou  wilt  enter 
into  life,"  said  he  to  one  who  already  professed  to  be  per- 
forming this  part  of  his  duty,  "keep  the  commandments: 
Thou  shalt  do  no  murder;  thou  shalt  not  commit  adul- 
tery ;  thou  shalt  not  steal  ;  thou  shalt  not  bear  false  wit- 
ness ;  honor  thy  father  and  thy  mother ;  and,  thou  shalt 
love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself."  To  the  lawyer  also  who 
asked  him  a  question,  tempting  him,  and  saying,  "Mas- 
ter, which  is  the  great  commandment  in  the  law?" 
Jesus  replied,  "Thou  shalt  love  the  Lord  thy  God  with  all 
thy  heart,  and  with  all  thy  soul,  and  with  all  thy  mind. 
This  is  the  first  and  great  commandment.  And  the 
second  is  like  unto  it.  Thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbor  as 
thyself."  He  thus  reduced  the  detail  of  the  code,  leaving 
in  it  all  that  he  considered  essential,  and  summing  it  up 
in  the  two  general  duties  pertaining  to  God  and  man.  It 
may  be  noticed  in  passing,  that  he  struck  out  altogether 
the  commandment  that  pertains  to  the  Sabbath  day,  the 
violation  of  which  Moses,  with  a  bloodthirstiness  peculiar 
to  the  early  Jews,  considered  more  of  a  crime  against 
God  than  any  other.  In  fact,  he  considered  it  the  great 
crime  of  all  others,  and  visited  upon  him  who  should  dare 
to  break  it,  the  penalty  of  death.  In  this  matter,  the 
Christian  Church  of  our  day  sets  Moses  above  Christ, 
since  notwithstanding  the  abrogation  of  the  law  by  Jesus, 
his  professed  disciples  still  adhere  to  it,  and  look  upon 
the  breach  of  it  as  one  of  the  most  heinous  sins  that  can 
be  committed. 

The  result  of  the  enlightened  protestantism  of  Jesus 
was  his  death  upon  the  cross.  He  became  a  martyr  to 
divine  truth.  But  he  left  a  noble  legacy  to  his  Apostles, 


8  ONE  RELIGION:   MANY  CREEDS. 

and  to  the  world,  in  his  advocacy  of  the  sublime  teach- 
ings of  natural  religion.  In  discarding  all  theology  and 
all  dogmas,  he  cleared  away  much  of  the  mist  and  fog 
that  enshrouded  religion,  and  made  himself  a  benefactor 
to  his  race.  But,  unfortunately,  his  disciples  were  not 
only  Jews,  they  were  prejudiced  in  favor  of  Jewish 
observances.  The  leaven  of  their  original  faith  fermented 
in  their  minds,  and  was  too  strongly  at  work  to  permit 
them  to  follow  their  Master  in  the  divine  simplicity  of 
his  early  teaching.  They  accepted  the  historic  and  scien- 
tific record  of  Moses,  erroneous  as  it  was,  because  nothing 
in  disproof  had  been  brought  to  bear  against  it — whereas 
the  Church  of  our  day  maintains  its  dogmas,  in  the  face 
of  scientifically  established  truths.  The  ancient  religion 
was  miraculous ;  so  also  should  that  be  which  was  advo- 
cated by  Jesus.  And  therefore,  by  degrees,  they  and 
their  successors  engrafted  a  mythology  upon  the  religion 
which  Jesus  advocated,  having  no  warrant  whatever,  in 
the  words  or  deeds  of  their  Master.  We  cannot  tell  at 
what  exact  period  after  his  death  were  concocted  the 
many  marvellous  stories  related  of  him,  such  as  that  of 
his  supernatural  birth ;  of  the  visit  of  the  wise  men  from 
the  East,  led  to  his  cradle  by  a  star ;  of  his  having  been ' 
begotten  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  of  the  consequent  aban- 
donment of  the  pretension  set  up  as  to  his  royal  descent 
from  David  and  Solomon;  of  his  miracles;  and  of  his 
resurrection  on  the  third  day  after  his  crucifixion.  It  is, 
we  say,  difficult,  and  all  but  impossible,  to  discover  when 
these  fables  were  intermingled  with  the  ordinary  human 
portion  of  the  narrative  of  his  life  and  teachings.  As  to 
their  being  found  in  the  four  Gospels  now  held  to  be 
canonical,  that  is  no  warrant  of  their  authenticity.  These 
four  Gospels  form  but  a  small  portion  of  the  "Gospels  " 


COUNCILS  ASSUME  INFALLIBLE  POWER.  9 

that  were  in  possession  of  the  Christians  of  the  third  and 
fourth  centuries ;  nor  is  there  any  absolute  and  satisfac- 
tory proof  that  they  were  ever  written  by  the  persons 
whose  names  they  bear,  and  that  they  passed,  unaltered, 
from  generation  to  generation  through  the  hands  of  honest 
custodians  and  faithful  transcribers.  Indeed  it  appears 
that  at  the  Council  of  Laodicea,  A.  D.  363,  there  were 
two  hundred  varied  versions  of  the  adopted  Evangelists, 
and  fifty-four  several  Gospels,  all  differing  essentially 
from  each  other,  and  each  purporting  to  be  a  true  account 
of  Jesus.  From  these  our  four  Gospels  were  selected. 
But  it  must  be  borne  in  mind,  that  the  present  Gospels 
are  not  originals,  but  taken  from  copies  of  the  sixth  cen- 
tury, which  in  turn  were  taken  from  some  other  unknown 
copies.  There  are  no  copies  in  existence,  bearing  a  date 
nearer  than  five  hundred  years  to  the  time  of  Jesus. 

And  this  question  of  the  origin  and  authenticity  of  the 
Scriptures  appears  to  have  been  a  grave  matter  of  doubt 
in  the  Christian  Church.  Nearly  twelve  hundred  years 
after  the  meeting  of  the  Council  at  Laodicea,  that  is 
A.  D.  1545,  another  Council  assembled  at  Trent  and 
decided  and  ordered  what  was  and  what  was  not  genuine. 
It  is  not  pretended,  we  believe,  that  the  prelates  who 
composed  this  Council  were  themselves  inspired  by  the 
Holy  Ghost.  Nevertheless,  being  fallible  men,  they  dealt 
in  summary  fashion  with  spiritual  affairs,  and  declared 
that  their  own  infallibility  was  beyond  doubt.  The  first 
named  conclave  having  made  its  selection  of  the  four 
Gospels,  this  one  picked  out  a  special  version  of  the 
Bible,  termed  the  Vulgate,  and  pronounced  it  the  only 
true  one;  made  the  Apocrypha  an  integral  part  of  it; 
proclaimed  that  the  Church  alone  was  at  liberty  to  inter- 
pret whatever  might  be  doubtful;  and  added  the  extraor- 


10  ONE  RELIGION:   MANY  CREEDS. 

dinary  edict,  that  tradition  was  to  be,  equally  with  the 
Bible,  a  rule  of  faith.  Under  this  rule  was  comprised 
that  incomprehensible  and  much-disputed  doctrine  of  the 
Trinity,  which  is  now  held  to  be  essential  to  man's  sal- 
vation, although  no  warrant  for  it  can  be  found  in  the 

o 

Christian's  text  book,  the  Bible.  Its  reception  as  an 
indispensable  part  of  the  creed  had  been  disputed  with 
the  acrimony  that  distinguishes  all  combatants  for  faith 
of  man's  invehtion,  as  the  records  of  other  famous  eccle- 
siastical Councils  show — notably  that  of  Nice,  A.  D.  325. 
Its  worth,  however,  and  its  binding  character,  ought  not 
to  be  much  enhanced,  even  in  the  view  of  Christians 
themselves,  by  remembrance  of  the  fact,  that  at  least 
three  centuries  elapsed  after  Jesus'  death,  before  the 
Trinity  obtained  a  hold  upon  the  worshippers  of  his 
name.  But  Councils  were  omnipotent — as  witness  the 
second  one  at  Nice,  A.  D.  787,  that  declared  the  worship 
of  images  and  of  the  cross  to  be  sanctioned  by  the  Holy 
Scriptures. 

These  astounding  assumptions  of  irresponsible  and  in- 
fallible, power,  by  men  pretending  to  deal  with  divine 
things,  would  be  deemed  impious  and  disgusting,  if  time 
and  habit  and  the  artful  management  of  the  priesthood 
had  not  tended  to  make  men  impervious  to  historical 
truth  and  logical  argument.  We  ask  then  with  reference 
to  the  Scriptures,  whether,  if  a  similar  claim  of  divine 
origin  and  unquestionable  authenticity  were  put  forward 
on  behalf  of  the  sacred  books  of  any  other  sect  which 
Christians  agree  in  condemning  they  would  be  accepted 
as  aught  else  than  fiction.  Take,  for  example,  Mat- 
thew's story  of  the  great  convulsion  of  nature  at  the 
crucifixion,  when  the  earth  is  said  to  have  been  shaken 
and  many  bodies  of  the  Saints  to  have  risen  from  their 


MASSACRE  OF  THE  INNOCENTS.        H 

graves  and  appeared  unto  many.  Such  a  story  could 
scarcely  have  been  told  in  the  hearing  of  any  one 
whether  Jew  or  Roman,  who  had  been  a  contemporary 
of  Jesus;  and  it  has  no  place  in  Roman  or  Jewish  his- 
tory. Again,  as  to  the  slaughter  of  all  the  male  infants 
of  Judea,  in  order  that  the  youthful  Christ  might  be 
destroyed,  commonly  called  the  Massacre  of  the  Inno- 
cents, what  corroborative  evidence  have  we  of  any  such 
act  of  atrocity  having  been  committed  by  Herod  ?  If 
Herod  was  chargeable  with  such  an  act  of  barbarity,  it 
cannot  be  doubted  that  Josephus  would  have  made  some 
mention  of  it.  But  his  very  silence  is  the  best  evidence 
we  could  have  to  the  contrary.  He  fills  thirty-seven 
chapters  with  the  history  of  Herod,  and  has  treated 
minutely  of  all  the  principal  cruelties  for  which  he  is 
responsible;  but  of  this  special  massacre  he  makes  no 
mention.  Phiio,  also,  who  lived  at  the  time,  and  the 
Rabbins  who  were  assiduous  to  blacken  Herod's  memory, 
give  not  the  slightest  hint  of  so  monstrous  a  decree. 
Indeed  we  find  that  the  three  Evangelists,  Mark,  Luke, 
and  John,  agree  with  the  historians  of  those  times,  in 
their  total  silence  on  this  subject.  It  is,  however,  a 
curious  and  most  noteworthy  coincidence,  that  in  the 
sacred  writings  of  the  Hindoos  there  is  a  similar  story 
related  of  the  tyrant  Kanga,  in  connection  with  the  birth 
of  the  Hindoo  god,  Crishna.  Sir  William  Jones  bears 
testimony  to  the  remarkable  similarity  that  exists  between 
Crishna's  life  and  actions  and  the  life  and  actions  of  Jesus, 
declaring  expressly  that  it  is  impossible  to  deny  it.  He 
says  that  Crishna's  name  and  the  general  traditions  con- 
cerning him  were  extant  long  anterior  to  the  birth  of 
Jesus,  and  probably  anterior  also  to  the  time  of  Homer. 
The  celebrated  poem  B/iagavat,  which  contains  an 


1-2  ONE  RELIGION  :    MANY  CREEDS. 

account  of  Crishna's  life,  is  filled  with  a  narrative  of  the 
most  extraordinary  kind.  The  incarnate  Deity  was 
cradled  among  herdsmen  or  shepherds.  A  tyrant,  at  the 
time  of  his  birth,  ordered  all  new-born  males  to  be  slain; 
and  yet  this  new-born  babe  was  preserved  in  the  most 
wonderful  manner.  He  performed  amazing  miracles  in 
his  infancy,  and  at  the  age  of  seven  years  held  up  a 
mountain  on  the  tip  of  his  finger;  he  saved  multitudes  by 
his  miraculous  powers;  and  he  raised  the  dead.  But  he 
was  the  meekest  and  mildest  of  created  beings;  he  washed 
the  feet  of  the  Brahmins,  and  preached  very  nobly  and 
sublimely.  He  was  pure,  and  chaste,  and  benevolent, 
and  tender. 

Again,  to  show  how  prone  the  popular  imagination  of 
the  ancients  was  to  fictions  of  this  kind,  we  borrow  some 
illustrations  from  the  pages  of  Strauss.  He  points  out 
that  the  life  of  a  child  destined  for  great  objects,  who  is 
endangered  and  miraculously  preserved,  is  one  of  the 
fundamental  themes  of  all  heroic  legends,  and  found  re- 
curring in  those  of  the  Hebrews,  the  Persians,  and  the 
Romans.  To  say  nothing  of  the  dangers  which  threat- 
ened the  life  of  Zeus,  or  of  Hercules,  and  of  the  mode  in 
which  they  were  averted,  something  similar  occurs  in  the 
histories  of  the  infancy  of  Moses,  in  the  Pentateuch — of 
Isaac,  in  a  later  Jewish  legend — of  Cyrus,  in  Herodotus — 
of  Romulus,  in  Livy  —  of  the  childhood  of  the  first 
Roman  Emperor,  according  to  Suetonius,  himself  living 
in  the  century  that  saw  the  birth  and  death  of  Jesus — 
and  then  in  that  of  the  Christian  Messiah,  in  the  Gospel 
of  Matthew.  The  idea  is  carried  out  in  all  these  in- 
stances in  a  manner  so  similar,  that  it  is  impossible  to 
doubt  the  influence  of  one  legend  upon  the  other,  or  to 
overlook  the  common  psychological  source  of  all.  This 


PSYCHOLOGICAL  SOURCE  OF  THESE  LEGENDS.     13 

source  is  that  peculiar  propensity,  which  leads  men  to 
make  the  value  of  a  good  or  great  man  the  more  sensibly 
felt,  by  setting  forth  on  one  side  the  near  approach  of  his 
possible  loss,  and  on  the  other  the  care  of  Providence  for 
his  preservation.  The  combined  influence  of  the  two — 
that  is  to  say,  the  inherent  desire  to  enhance  the  value  of 
what  was  esteemed,  and  the  multiplicity  of  the  examples 
around — may  well  account  for  these  fables  of  imminent 
danger  and  supernatural  protection,  as  introduced  into  the 
life  of  Jesus. 

In  th#  record  of  the  infancy  of  Jesus,  the  mode  in 
which  the  danger  is  brought  about  is  also  peculiar.  The 
cause  of  it  is  a  Star,  which  appears  in  Heaven  and 
guides  certain  Eastern  Magi  to  Jerusalem,  where  their 
enquiries  after  the  new  born  King  of  the  Jews  attract 
the  attention  of  Herod  the  Great.  Thus  the  Star  appears 
as  the  means  of  the  endangerment  of  Jesus'  life.  Still, 
this  portion  of  the  legend  had  an  object  of  its  own. 
There  is  a  belief  reaching  from  remote  antiquity  even  to 
our  own  times,  that  new  appearances  of  stars,  particu- 
larly comets,  coming  unexpectedly  and  vanishing  again, 
prognosticate  revolutions  in  human  affairs,  and  the  birth 
and  death  of  great  men.  Men  start  from  the  supposition, 
that  so  striking  a  phenomenon  in  the  Heavens  must 
have,  corresponding  to  it,  a  similar  one  on  earth,  affect- 
ing mankind.  Thus,  when  an  historical  event  happens, 
which  it  is  wished  particularly  to  distinguish,  some  extra- 
ordinary natural  phenomenon,  that  never  took  place,  is 
invented  to  chime  in  with  it.  Thus  we  read  in  Rubeni, 
a  rabbinical  author,  that  at  the  moment  of  Abraham's 
birth,  a  star  stood  in  the  East,  which  swallowed  up  four 
other  stars,  each  appearing  in  one  of  the  four  quarters  of 
the  Heavens.  Justin  also  tells  another  of  these  fictitious 


14  ONE  RELIGION:  MANY  CREEDS. 

tales  about,  Mithridates,  to  the  effect  that  in  the  year  in 
which  he  was  born,  and  in  that  of  his  accession,  a  comet 
appeared,  and  continued  visible  on  each  occasion  for  iour 
hours  during  every  day,  and  for  seventy  successive  days. 
It  was  of  so  large  a  size,  and  so  bright,  that  it  occupied  a 
quarter  of  the  sky,  and  outshone  the  brightness  of  the 
sun.  Before  the  birth  of  Augustus,  it  was  said  to  have 
been  prognosticated  at  Rome,  by  a  prodigy,  that  Nature 
was  pregnant  of  a  King  for  the  Roman  people.  Accord- 
ing to  Jewish  writings,  the  account  of  the  peril  which 
threatened  the  life  of  the  Lawgiver,  had  its  parallel  also 
in  the  history  of  the  Patriarch  of  the  nation.  In  this 
case  Pharoah  is  Nimrod.  In  one  account,  Nimrod  sees  a 
star  in  a  dream;  this  star,  according  to  the  other  account, 
actually  appears  in  the  sky,  and  his  sages  explain  it  to 
him  to  mean  that  a  son  is  at  that  moment  born  to  Tha- 
rah,  from  whom  shall  come  a  mighty  nation  destined  to 
inherit  the  present  and  the  future  world.  Observe  also 
that  when,  at  length,  the  same  embellishment  had  been 
introduced  into  the  history  of  the  infancy  of  Jesus,  it  was 
introduced  into  the  history  of  the  infancy  of  John  the 
Baptist,  who,  having  been  endangered  by  the  massacre 
at  Bethlehem,  was  also  said  to  have  been  preserved  by  a 
miracle. 

Now,  in  the  legends  of  Cyrus,  Romulus  and  Abraham, 
the  tyrants  give  special  orders  for  murdering  only  the 
children  who  are  pointed  out  as  dangerous  to  them.  The 
narratives  concerning  Moses,  Augustus,  and  Jesus,  resem- 
ble each  other  in  this — that  the  potentates  seek  to  catch 
the  destined  infant,  wlio  is  unknown  to  them  personally, 
in  a  wide  net,  together  with  others.  The  story,  then,  in 
relation  to  the  wholesale  massacre  by  Herod,  is  totally 
unworthy  of  credence  or  historical  consideration,  as  before 


INCREDIBLE  STATEMENTS  OF  OLD  TESTAMENT.  15 

remarked.  Neither  will  it  stand  the  test  of  criticism, 
when  considered  in  relation  to  the  justice  and  omniscience 
of  the  Almighty :  for  if  God  specially  interposed  to  blind 
the  mind  of  Herod  by  suggesting  to  the  Magi  that  they 
should  not  return  to  Jerusalem  to  notify  him  of  the  cir- 
cumstances, why  did  He  not  inspire  them  to  proceed,  in 
the  first  instance,  direct  to  Bethlehem  ?  Herod  would 
thus  have  been  in  ignorance  of  the  child's  existence,  and 
this  cruel  and  unnecessary  massacre  would  have  been 
entirely  avoided — that  is,  if  it  ever  occurred. 

The  date,  when  these  fables  were  introduced  into  the 
New  Testament,  is  not  of  much  importance,  even  if  it 
were  possible  to  discover  it.  We  know,  however,  that 
the  early  Christians  not  only  accepted  the  mythology  of 
Moses,  but  that  they  superadded  a  mythology  of  their 
own,  of  which  these  extraordinary  stories  form  a  part, 
and  that  the  result  of  the  union  was  a  system  of  theology 
or  belief,  in  which  the  teachings  of  Moses  and  the 
Apostles  and  Jesus  were  blended,  and  for  upwards  of  four- 
teen hundred  years — not  improperly  called  the  "  Dark 
Ages," — were  taught  and  accepted  as  a  part  and  parcel 
of  Christianity.  .No  one,  during  these  dark  ages,  was 
allowed  to  separate  the  history  and  the  mythology  from 
the  doctrine.  They  were  denied  the  liberty  of  rejecting 
the  one  and  accepting  the  other,  under  the  severest  pen- 
alties in  this  world,  and  the  threat  of  eternal  damnation 
in  the  next.  He  who  accepted  the  doctrines  of  Christi- 
anity was  compelled  also  to  accept,  or  pretend  so  to  do, 
the  most  senseless  fables  and  theories  that  were  presented 
to  him,  or  bo  anathematized.  He  was  required  to  believe 
the  most  incredible  statements  ;  among  them,  that  this 
earth,  together  with  the  planetary  system  of  which  it  is 
a  member,  was  created  .only  about  four  thousand  years 


16  ONE   11EL1GION:    MANY  GREEDS. 

before  the  birth  of  Jesus.  Even  as  late  as  toward  the 
end  of  the  fifteenth  century  Columbus,  the  discoverer  of 
this  continent,  was  excommunicated  and  branded  as  a 
heretic,  by  one  of  the  boasted  successors  of  St.  Peter,  for 
advancing  the  theory  that  the  earth  is  spherical,  in  oppo- 
sition to  the  idea  that  it  is  a  mere  extended  plane. 

It  was  also  incumbent  that  he  should  believe  a  thou- 
sand other  absurdities;  that  the  Sun  revolved  round  the 
Earth;  that  God  dwells  in  a  local  ^habitation,  a  place 
called  Heaven,  and  the  Devil  in  a  place  called  Hell ;  that 
God  made  a  man  and  a  woman,  and  placed  them  in  a 
garden,  intending  that  they  and  their  progeny  should  live 
forever  in  this  world — happy,  innocent,  naked,  and  hav- 
ing nothing  to  do ;  that  in  this  purpose,  however,  God  was 
thwarted  by  Satan,  or  the  Devil,  who,  in  the  form  of  a 
serpent,  persuaded  the  woman  to  eat  of  the  fruit  of  a  tree 
called  the  Tree  of  Knowledge,  of  which  God  had  forbidden 
them  to  eat,  under  penalty  of  death ;  that  they  did  eat, 
and  that  they  fell  from  their  state  of  innocence,  happiness 
and  nudity ;  that  God,  offended  at  «their  disobedience, 
drove  them  out  of  the  garden,  imposed  labor  upon  them  as 
a  curse,  and  taught  them  the  use  of  clothes ;  that  the  first 
two  men,  born  of  this  original  pair,  quarrelled  because 
God  was  better  pleased  to  accept  a  sacrifice  of  fat  cattle 
roasted  with  fire  upon  an  altar,  from  Abel,  than  a  blood- 
less offering  of  herbs  and  fruits  from  Cain,  and  that  Cain, 
therefore,  slew  his  brother  in  a  fit  of  anger  ;  that  the  race 
of  men,  born  of  Adam  and  Eve,  becoming  utterly  cor- 
rupt and  wicked,  God  repented  that  he  had  made  such 
ungrateful  and  abominable  creatures,  and  resolved  to 
drown  the  whole  race  of  men,  as  well  as  the  beasts  of  the 
field  and  the  fowls  of  the  air,  which  had  not  offended 
Him  ;  that  He  spared  but  one  man  and  his  family  saved 


INCREDIBLE  STATEMENTS  OF  OLD  TESTAMENT.    17 

in  an  ark,  together  with  a  single  pair  of  all  created  ani- 
mals and  birds ;  that  the  progeny  of  these  miraculously 
preserved  men  and  women  afterwards  divided  the  earth 
among  themselves,  but  were  in  no  degree  better  than  the 
progeny  of  Adam  and  Eve,  and  continually  vexed  the 
Almighty,  and  stirred  Him  to  fierce  wrath  by  their  fear- 
ful wickedness ;  that  a  man  named  Nimrod,  a  great  king 
and  hunter,  conceived  the  idea  that  Heaven,  the  abode  of 
God  was  just  above  or  in  the  clouds,  and  not  more  diffi- 
cult of  access  than  the  tops  of  the  highest  mountains,  and 
that  he  could  build  a  tower  to  reach  to  God's  throne ; 
that  God,  apprehensive  that  he  might  succeed  in  the 
attempt,  defeated  his  sacrilegious  purpose  by  confounding 
the  language  of  the  men  who  wrought  upon  it,  so  that 
they  could  not  understand  each  other,  and  had  to  desist 
from  their  labors — whereas  all  that  was  necessary  to  be 
done  was  to  leave  Nimrod  and  the  ignorant  work-people 
alone,  until  their  means  and  patience  were  exhausted ; 
that  God  chose  the  Jews  for  his  peculiar  people  out  of 
His  mere  grace  and  favor,  and  for  no  good  that  they  had 
ever  done ;  but  that  Moses  never  could  make  the  Jews 
understand  who  God  was,  or  in  what  respect  He  was 
wiser  than,  or  superior  to,  the  pretended  gods  of  neigh- 
boring nations ;  that  this  people  was  enslaved  by  the 
Egyptians,  remained  in  slavery  for  several  hundred  years, 
and  were  miraculously  freed  from  bondage  after  God  had 
caused  the  death  of  all  the  first  born  male  children  of 
Egypt,  and  afflicted  the  land  and  the  people  with  innu- 
merable plagues — not  on  account  of  the  sins  of  the  Egyp- 
tians, but  solely  on  account  of  the  stubbornness  of  Pha- 
raoh, their  king,  who  as  often  as  he  relented  had  his 
heart  hardened  by  God,  Himself,  in  order  that  he  might 
be  further  plagued  and  punished ;  that  the  Jews,  when 
2 


IS  ONE  RELIGION:  MANY  CREEDS. 

they  had  established  themselves  in  Canaan,  by  the  mas- 
sacre of  the  original  possessors  of  the  land,  grew  weary 
of  a  priestly  government,  and  demanded  to  have  a  king, 
like  their  neighbors;  that  God  endeavored,  but  in  vain, 
to  dissuade  them  from  their  purpose,  and,  yielding  at  last 
to  their  importunity,  chose  a  king  for  them  in  the  person 
of  Saul,  for  no  other  recorded  reason,  than  that  he  was 
taller,  by  the  head  and  shoulders,  than  any  of  his  people ; 
that  Saul  reigned  indifferently  well  over  the  Jews,  but 
offended  God  past  all  hope  of  forgiveness,  because  he  was 
more  merciful  than  his  Maker,  and  would  not,  after  he 
had  conquered  and  overthrown  his  enemies  in  fair  bat- 
tle, rip  up  the  bellies  of  women  with  child,  put  all  the 
children,  male  and  female,  to  the  sword,  and  destroy  all 
their  horses,  oxen,  sheep,  and  other  cattle  ;  that  Joshua 
made  the  sun  to  stand  still  at  his  bidding — an  event 
which,  if  it  could  have  occurred,  would  have  reduced  the 
solar  system  to  chaos.  All  these  and  many  other  stories, 
which  it  is  needless  to  recapitulate — evidently  mythologi- 
cal, and  many  of  them  allegorical — Christianity  now,  as 
then,  requires  to  be  literally  accepted  as  positively  and 
divinely  true,  under  penalty  of  all  the  plethora  of  curses, 
temporal  and  eternal,  that  angry  priestcraft  can  pro- 
nounce. 

And  the  mythology  of  the  New  Testament  is  imposed 
as  ruthlessly  upon  the  believer  as  that  of  the  Old. 
Indeed  the  former  was  engrafted  upon  the  latter;  and 
both  must  be  accepted,  without  question  or  hesitation,  as 
equally  true.  As  man  had  fallen  under  Adam,  he  was 
to  be  lifted  up  under  Jesus  ;  but  as  God  required  a  sacri- 
fice before  He  could  forgive  the  human  race  for  the  trans- 
gression of  Adam  and  Eve,  Jesus — being  himself  God — 
offered  himself  a  sacrifice  to  his  Father,  who  was  also 


THE  SAME  CLAIMED  FOR  GODAMA.  19 

God — though  there  was  but  one  God — and  the  sacrifice 
was  accepted.  As  an  evidence  of  this,  it  is  asserted  that 
when  he  died  upon  the  cross  all  nature  was  convulsed  by 
the  event ;  the  earth  upheaved,  and  the  dead  rose  out  of 
their  graves  and  walked  through  the  streets,  in  sight  of 
the  awe-stricken  multitudes.  This  was  a  marvel  and  a 
mystery,  which  no  human  being  could  understand ;  but  it 
was  to  be  received  as  a  dogma  and  an  article  of  faith — 
without  believing  in  which,  no  one  could  enjoy  the  benefit 
of  the  transcendent  sacrifice,  or  live  in  the  next  world, 
except  in  fire  and  brimstone  and  eternal  torment.  For 
the  purpose  of  teaching  the  new  theology  and  of  perform- 
ing this  sacrifice,  God,  in  the  person  of  the  man  Jesus, 
came  into  the  world  and  wrought  many  miracles  to  con- 
vince the  people  of  the  divinity  alike  of  his  character  and 
mission.  But  so  also  was  it  claimed  by  and  for  Godama, 
who  founded  the  theological  system  which  now  prevails 
in  the  Burmese  Empire.  "I,  a  God,"  said  he,  "having 
departed  out  of  this  world  will  preserve  my  laws  and  my 
disciples  in  it  for  the  space  of  five  thousand  years." 
Again,  the  people  of  Judea  believed  that  the  diseases  of 
the  human  body  were  to  a  great  extent  due  to  the  agency 
of  devils — the  number  of  the  devils  being  infinite — and 
that  they  entered  corporeally  into  the  blood,  the  bones, 
the  brain,  and  the  intestines,  of  epileptics,  cataleptics, 
apoplectics,  lepers,  lunatics,  maniacs,  and  other  unhappy 
persons  afflicted  with  bodily  or  mental  disorders.  As 
Jesus  was  represented  in  the  new  mythology  as  casting 
out  devils  by  an  effort  of  his  volition,  and  sometimes  as 
speaking  to  them  while  in  the  bodies  of  tormented  per- 
sons, and  ordering  them  to  come  out,  the  Christians  of 
the  Dark  Ages  were  of  necessity  taught  to  believe  that 
such  devils  really  existed,  and  that  diseases  were  the 


20  ONE   RELIGION:  MANY  CREEDS. 

results  of  their  agency,  rather  than  of  natural  or  herodi- 
tary  causes,  or  of  the  contravention  of  the  laws  of  health 
by  the  afflicted  persons  themselves.  The  early  Christians 
were  also  taught  to  believe  that  the  arch-devil — the  lord 
and  king  of  all  these  minor  devils,  the  Satan  and  Beelze- 
bub of  the  Jews,  the  Ah ri manes  of  the  Persians,  the  Luci- 
fer of  the  poets — ignorant  of  the  fact  that  Jesus  was  God, 
and  believing  that  he  was  only  an  able  and  ambitious 
man,  took  him  up  into  a  high  mountain  and  showed  him 
all  the  kingdoms  of  the  world — which  he  could  not  have 
done  from  the  top  of  any  mountain,  however  lofty — and 
promised  him  dominion  over  them,  on  the  sole  condition 
that  he,  who  was  God,  should  kneel  down  and  wor- 
ship him,  who  was  Devil ;  that  Jesus,  without  making 
himself  known  to  him,  refused  the  offer,  saying,  "Get 
thee  behind  me  Satan,  thou  art  an  offense  unto  me." 
Moreover,  they  were  required  to  believe  that  Jesus  raised 
the  dead  from  the  grave ;  walked  upon  the  waters  of  the 
sea;  stilled  the  raging  of  the  tempest,  by  a  motion  of  his 
hand  or  word  of  his  mouth ;  fed  thousands  of  people,  once 
with  five,  and  once  with  seven  loaves  of  bread  and  a  few 
small  fishes — the  unconsumed  remnants  of  both,  after 
the  multitude  had  freely  partaken,  being  immensely 
greater  than  the  original  bulk  of  the  articles  provided ; 
and  that  he  performed  other  miracles,  all  of  which  were 
of  a  beneficent,  but  more  or  less  startling  character, 
according  to  the  circumstances.  But  the  most  remarka- 
ble thing  is  that,  notwithstanding  he  is  said  to  have  per- 
formed such  wonderful  things  as  we  have  enumerated,  he 
never  succeeded  in  persuading  either  the  Romans  or  the 
Jewish  people,  or  the  many  thousands  who  witnessed 
them,  or  even  his  own  immediate  followers  and  disciples, 
that  his  mission  was  to  introduce  a  new  and  spiritual  reli- 


THE  DIVINITY  OF  JESUS  NOT  BELIEVED.        21 

gion,  or  that  he  was  indeed  God,  or  the  son  of  Gcd,  in 
any  other  sense  than  that  in  which  all  men  are  God's 
children.  This  is  a  most  significant  fact;  and  a  fact  it 
must  be  acknowledged  by  the  Christian  Church,  inasmuch 
as  it  is  borne  out  by  the  Scriptures  themselves.  The 
indifference  of  the  Romans  is  shown  in  Pilate's  washing 
his  hands  of  Christ's  blood,  and  in  the  temperate  dealings 
of  Festus  and  Agrippa  with  Paul.  How  Christ  impressed 
the  leading  Jews  is  proved  by  the  manner  in  which  they 
persecuted  him  and  put  him  to  death.  What  the  multi- 
tudes thought  of  him  may  be  gathered  from  the  reiterated 
testimony  of  the  Evangelists,  to  the  effect  that  the  people 
"  understood  not  his  sayings,"  that  the}'-  "  marvelled 
greatly,"  that  they  were  "  astonished  at  his  doctrine," 
that  they  were  "very  attentive  to  hear  him,"  and  that 
the  fullest  extent  of  their  conviction  went  no  farther  than 
this :  "  they  rejoiced  at  all  the  glorious  things  that  were 
done  by  him."  It  is  nowhere  recorded  that  they  looked 
upon  him  as  the  veritable  son  of  God,  co-equal  with  God, 
and  voluntarily  sacrificing  himself  as  an  expiation  for 
Adam's  original  sin — nor  did  he  claim  this  himself.  As 
to  the  immediate  contemporaries,  followers,  and  intimate 
attendants  upon  Christ,  it  is  only  needful  to  remind  the 
reader  of  what  happened,  when  all  his  personal  influence 
and  all  the  effect  of  his  whole  career  culminated,  in  his 
final  interview  with  the  eleven  disciples,  after  his  resur- 
rection. St.  Mark  says,  that  he  upbraided  them  for  their 
unbelief  and  hardness  of  heart.  Yet  St.  Matthew  says, 
with  a  candor  that  is  absolutely  killing — in  reference  also 
to  Jesus'  last  intercourse  with  those  favored  individuals — 
"but  some  doubted!"  The  disciples,  therefore,  in  the 
presence  of  their  risen  Master,  were  very  far  from  exhib- 
iting an  implicit  and  unreserved  faith,  at  the  moment  of 


22  ONE  RELIGION:  MANY  CREEDS. 

all  others  when  they  should  have  experienced  it  to  the 
innermost  core.  What,  we  ask,  has  the  Church  done,  to 
make  belief  in  all  these  stories  acceptable  to  us  in  these 
days,  when  we  find  them  less  and  less  able  to  bear  the 
test  of  calm  and  critical  examination  ? 

It  was  only  after  Christ's  death  that  Christianity, 
under  a  new  phase,  began  to  develop  itself  and  to  dis- 
possess the  previously  existing  paganism  of  the  Roman 
Empire.  Then  it  was  that  the  Priests  and  the  Popes, 
who  had  charge  of  the  new  doctrine,  arrogated  to  them- 
selves and  to  their  "Saints,"  both  living  and  dead,  the 
miraculous  and  supernatural  powers  which  they  at  first 
claimed  only  for  their  divine  Master.  A  new  series  of 
wonders  was  invented  suitable  for  the  credulous  and 
ignorant  multitudes.  These  found  ready  credence  in  an 
age  when  Kings  and  Emperors  could  not  even  read  or 
write ;  indeed,  when  there  were  no  books,  and  but  very 
few  accessible  manuscripts ;  and  when  the  mass  of  man- 
kind were  sunk  in  the  deepest  mental  darkness — impene- 
trable even  to  such  rays  of  light  as  gleamed  and  flashed 
from  the  lustrous  learning  and  eloquence  of  the  Greek 
and  Roman  philosophers.  Knowledge  was  trodden  down 
by  the  furious  wars  that  followed  the  fall  of  the  Roman 
Empire.  What  little  remained  of  it  the  priests  pos- 
sessed, and  used — as  priests  invariably  do — to  enslave 
the  intellect  of  the  people.  And  thus,  in  process  of  time, 
a  third  mythology  was  superadded  to  the  mythology  of 
the  Pentateuch  and  the  Four  Gospels,  fully  as  marvellous 
and  as  contrary  to  the  laws  of  Nature  and  to  all  human 
experience,  as  its  predecessors.  In  this  mythology, 
Mary, — "the  Mother  of  God" — is  raised  to  the  divine 
rank  of  Queen  of  Heaven,  and  plays  a  most  conspicuous 
part  in  the  Church  which  bears  the  name  of  her  Son.  In 


MYTHOLOGY  OF  THE  VIRGIN  MARY.  23 

fact,  it  is  said  that  she  enacts  wonders  more  wonderful 
than  any  attributed  to  him.  She  condescends  to  enter 
into  images  and  statues  carved  in  her  honor ;  and,  as  an 
incontrovertible  evidence  of  her  presence  therein,  she 
makes  them  wink  their  eyes,  and  shed  real  tears  over 
the  agonies  of  those  penitents  who  supplicate  her  mercy 
and  her  mediation  with  her  blessed  Son.  Her  pictures, 
too,  worked  miraculous  cures  on  the  deaf,  the  dumb,  and 
the  blind,  provided  they  were  touched  in  a  properly 
reverential  and  confiding  spirit.  She  appears  visibly  to 
the  eyes  of  men  and  women,  and  promises  her  interces- 
sion with  her  Son  in  Heaven,  for  the  forgiveness  of  all 
who  truly  believe  in  herself  and  in  him.  Kor  this  alone ; 
the  relics  of  real  or  supposed  saints  and  martyrs  are  also 
endowed  with  virtue  to  heal  diseases.  Nay,  even  pieces 
of  the  wood  of  the  cross  on  which  Jesus  had  suffered — 
that  was  supposed  to  have  been  discovered  in  a  heap  of 
ancient  and  indistinguishable  rubbish  in  the  Golgotha  of 
Jerusalem,  through  the  pious  agencies  of  the  Empress 
Helena,  more  than  three  hundred  years  after  the  cruci- 
fixion— were  also  endowed  with  similar  powers  and  attri- 
butes of  divinity.  Mr.  Charles  Mackay,  in  his  Memoirs 
of  Extraordinary  Popular  Delusions,  says  that  it  is 
among  "  the  traditions  of  the  Romish  Church  that  the 
Empress  Helen,  the  mother  of  Constantine  the  Great, 
first  discovered  the  veritable  'true  Cross,'  in  her  pil- 
grimage to  Jerusalem.  The  Emperor  Theodosius  made  a 
present  of  the  greater  part  of  it  to  St.  Ambrose,  Bishop 
of  Milan,  by  whom  it  was  studded  with  precious  stones, 
and  deposited  in  the  principal  church  of  that  city.  It 
was  carried  away  by  the  Huns,  by  whom  it  was  burnt 
after  they  had  extracted  the  valuable  jewels  it  contained. 
Fragments  purporting  to  have  been  cut  from  it  were,  in 


24  ONE  RELIGION:   MANY  CREEDS. 

the  eleventh  and  twelfth  centuries,  to  be  found  in  almost 
every  church  in  Europe,  and  would,  if  collected  together  in 
one  place,  have  been  almost  sufficient  to  have   built   a 
cathedral.     Happy  was  the  sinner  who  could  get  a  sight 
of  one  of  them;  happier  he  who  possessed  one.    To  obtain 
them,  the  greatest  dangers  were  cheerfully  braved.     They 
were  thought  to  preserve  from  all  evils,  and  to  cure  the 
most  inveterate  diseases.     Annual  pilgrimages  were  made 
to  the  shrines  that  contained  them,  and  considerable  rev- 
enues were  collected  from  the  devotees."     Tears  of  Jesus, 
of  the  Virgin  Mary,  of  John  the   beloved  disciple,  and 
even  of  Peter,  who  denied  his  Master  when  he  fell  into 
trouble   and  suspicion,  were   also   discovered   in   Judea, 
where  they  had  been  divinely  and  miraculously  preserved 
for  centuries,  and  brought  to  Europe  at  the  time  of  the 
Crusades.     They  were  kept  in  churches  and  cathedrals — 
to  be  exhibited  on  great  occasions,  and  when  there  was 
any  chance  of  making  money  by  the  exhibition  or  sale 
of  them  to  the  faithful.     For,  be  it  observed,  the  laws  of 
evaporation  and  absorption  must,   ever  since  they  were 
shed,    have  been   miraculously  suspended.     These   tears 
work    supernatural    cures,  too,  when    enshrined  in  little 
glass  beads  and  worn  on  the  bosom,  or  even  if  the  beads 
that  contain  them  are  held  in  the  hand  or  pressed  to  the 
lips   of  the   devout   Christian.     But   to    continue.     The 
nails  with  which  the  hands  and  feet  of  Jesus  were  pierced 
to  fasten  him  on  the  cross,  and  even  the  thorns  of  the 
crown  with  which  he  was  mockingly  arrayed  by  his  per- 
secutors, found  their  way  to  Europe  in  large  quantities. 
It  has  been  alleged   by  historians  that  there   was   iron 
enough  in  all  these  nails,  if  collected  and  thrown  into  the 
furnace,  to  have  made  a  thousand   ploughshares.     And 
yet  each  nail  was  supposed  to  be  divinely  endowed  with 


INFLUENCE  OF  THE  PRINTING  PRESS.  25 

the  power  of  working  miracles,  to  prove  the  truth  of  the 
Christian  doctrine  I 

But  while  this  new  mythology  was  growing  and 
expanding  and  exercising  its  pernicious  sway  over  the 
intellect  of  men — and  especially  of  women,  who  are 
always  the  greatest  upholders  of  the  churches,  in  all  parts 
of  the  world  and  in  all  ages — the  printing  press  came 
into  operation.  By  its  influence  in  stimulating  men  to 
increased  mental  and  physical  activity,  and  facilitating  the 
operation  of  many  minds  one  upon  another  for  the  good 
of  the  whole,  it  aimed  a  heavy  blow  at  superstition  and 
priestcraft.  From  that  era  and  from  that  invention  went 
forth  an  impetus  in  the  affairs  of  mankind,  a  rapidity  of 
advancement  in  the  arts,  sciences,  and  civilization,  unpre- 
cedented in  the  history  of  the  world,  ensuring  a  far  more 
splendid  inheritance  to  those  who  come  after  us,  than  that 
to  which  we  have  ourselves  succeeded.  One  of  its  first 
results  was  the  multiplication  of  copies  of  the  Old  and 
New  Testaments,  which  were  translated  into  the  English, 
German,  French,  and  other  European  languages,  and 
placed  for  the  first  time  in  the  hands  of  other  people  than 
the  clergy.  A  second  result  was  the  growth  of  a  convic- 
tion that  the  new  mythology  of  the  Romish  priesthood, 
that  had  grown  up  in  the  Dark  Ages,  was  an  excrescence 
upon  Christianity,  formed  no  part  of  its  spirit  or  teaching, 
and  was  not  to  be  believed  or  accepted  as  truth.  Many 
men  came  to  the  conclusion  that  the  first  two  mytholo- 
gies— those  of  Moses  and  the  Gospels — were  quite  suffi- 
cient for  belief,  and  were  to  be  accepted  on  account  of  their 
venerable  antiquity.  They  rejected  the  Third  mythology, 
and  made  up  their  minds  that  its  miracles — performed  by 
winking  Virgins,  pieces  of  the  True  Cross,  and  toe-nails 
of  the  Saints,  were  no  miracles  at  all,  but  cheats,  shams, 


26  ONE  RELIGION  :  MANY  CREEDS. 

and  impostures,  only  invented  to  prop  up  an  ecclesiastical 
system  which  had  degenerated  into  a  trade — to  impose 
and  prey  upon  the  less  gifted  and  cultivated — and  to  per- 
petuate the  physical  power  and  intellectual  domination  of 
the  priesthood.  The  prevalence  of  free  thought  increased 
in  an  advancing  ratio ;  and  about  this  time,  what  is  termed 
the  Reformation  took  place.  The  protest  on  this  occasion 
was  strong  as  far  as  it  went ;  but  it  was  partial  and  incom- 
plete. It  protested  again  the  truth  of  the  modern, — not 
of  the  ancient  miracles ;  against  the  Pope — not  against 
the  historical  and  scientific  falsehoods  and  errors,  inherited 
by  him  and  his  predecessors  from  the  original  Christians, 
or  by  the  original  Christians  from  the  so-called  sacred 
Books  ascribed  to  Moses  and  the  Evangelists.  The  Pro- 
testantism of  that  dawning  day  protested  against  all  doc- 
trine but  that  contained  in  the  BOOK,  and  built  up  a  new 
idol,  a  new  divinity,  a  new  God,  in  the  shape  of  the  BIBLE, 
which  they  set  on  high  in  the  face  of  men,  to  be  wor- 
shipped by  all  who  would  escape  eternal  perdition.  It 
rejected  one-third  of  a  false  system,  and  took  the  other 
two-thirds  to  its  heart,  and  enshrined  them  there  as  infal- 
lible, unerring,  perpetual,  and  divine.  Yet  this  partial 
protest  was  of  inestimable  value  to  future  generations.  It 
was  the  thin  end  of  the  wedge  introduced  into  the  hard 
block  of  superstition.  He  who-  protests  a  little  to-day 
may  protest  a  great  deal  to-morrow.  -  The  very  fact  of 
a  protest  amounts  to  a  declaration  of  independence  in 
thought ;  and  Protestantism — as  soon  as  it  had  begun  to 
protest — deprived  itself  of  the  power  of  saying  to  any 
clearer-sighted,  better  informed,  and  more  courageous  pro- 
testant  than  itself:  "  Thus  far  shalt  thou  protest,  and  no 
farther  !"  This  was  a  mighty  advantage  ;  and  the  Romish 
Church,  with  the  keen  instinct  of  self-preservation,  felt 


PROGRESS  OF  THE  SCIENCES.  27 

and  knew  it  to  be  so,  and  waged  war  to  the  death  against 
the  bold,  democratic,  and  innovating  movement  that 
threatened  to  hurl  it  from  its  throne. 

The  disciples  of  the  reformed  faith,  as  cheerfully  as  the 
earlier  Christians  of  the  days  of  St.  Paul  and  St.  Peter, 
went  to  the  block  and  the  stake,  to  seal  with  blood  their 
belief  in  the  conscientious  protest  which  they  had  made. 
Meanwhile  the  great  printing  press  was  busily  at  work. 
Every  succeeding  year  gave  it  new  power  for  good  and  an 
increased  momentum  in  well-doing.  The  priests  were  no 
longer  the  sole  depositories  of  learning.  The  outer  world 
penetrated  into  all  the  pretended  holy  mysteries  of  the 
clergy.  The  intellect  of  mankind  was  liberated ;  and  no 
longer  confining  itself  to  questions  of  Theology,  as  in  the 
Dark  Ages,  grappled  bravely  with  Mechanics,  Physics, 
Optics,  Astronomy,  Chemistry — all  the  Arts  and  Sciences 
— and  became,  under  this  active  exercise,  too  vigorous 
and  penetrating  to  be  longer  held  under  the  domination  of 
priestcraft.  The  cheat  was  detected  ;  spurious  teaching 
and  doctrines  began  to  be  thrown  overboard  as  useless 
lumber,  or  clogs  to  that  true  religion  which  is  founded  on 
the  real  Bible,  or  Book  of  God,  the  true  revelation  of  the 
Creator,  to  be  read  in  His  works,  terrestrial  and  celestial, 
and  in  His  impress  upon  man — and  not  in  the  writings  of 
ignorant  and  erring,  though  possibly  well-meaning,  men. 
The  law  of  Gravitation  suspected  by  Dante,  and  Shakes- 
peare, and  perhaps  others,  but  only  reduced  to  a  formula 
and  a  proof  positive  by  Newton — the  earlier  invention  of 
the  Telescope,  and  the  later  invention  of  the  Microscope — 
the  discovery  of  the  eternal  and  sublime  forces  sometimes 
called  Galvanism,  Magnetism,  and  Electricity — all  these 
things  worked  together  for  the  exposition  to  mankind  of  a 
thousand  unsuspected  truths  of  the  divine  government  of 


28  ONE  RELIGION:  MANY  CREEDS. 

the  world,  whereof  the  theologies  and  mythologies  had 
never  dreamed.  All  of  these  were  consistent  with  each 
other,  but  inconsistent  with  the  truth  of  the  theologies 
and  mythologies,  however  seemingly  sacred  in  the  esti- 
mation of  mankind  the  latter  might  be. 

These  discoveries,  these  teachings,  these  expositions, 
these  promulgations,  continued  during  the  seventeenth, 
eighteenth,  and  nineteenth  centuries,  without  producing 
any  very  obvious  effect  upon  the  mythological  Chris- 
tianity, based  upon  the  fables  of  the  Old  and  New  Testa- 
ments. The  mass  of  professing  Protestants  accepted  the 
new  facts,  but  gave  themselves  no  trouble  to  reconcile 
them  with  the  old  traditions.  Nevertheless,  the  spirit  of 
enquiry  which  was  so  busily  at  work  had,  and  could  not 
but  have,  its  effect  upon  the  intellect  of  the  generations 
that  were  growing  up  in  the  light  of  these  discoveries; 
and  a  spirit  of  what  is  called  "Infidelity"  pervaded  the 
upper  and  educated  classes.  Infidelity  is  an  easy  word. 
To  the  Mahommedans,  all  Christians  are  infidels.  To 
Christians,  all  Mahommedans,  Jews,  Buddhists,  Parsees, 
and  believers  in  Mumbo  Jumbo,  are  equally  "infidels." 
Infidelity  is  no  reproach.  The  various  theologies,  inter- 
mingled with  what  is  true  in  worship,  in  different  quar- 
ters of  the  world,  are  the  creatures  of  circumstance,  rather 
than  of  pure,  unmitigated,  and  conscientious  belief.  If 
Martin  Luther  had  been  born  in  China  or  Japan,  he  would 
not  have  been  a  champion  of  Protestant  Christianity.  If 
Mahommed  had  been  born  in  Scandinavia  where  Odin  was 
worshipped,  he  might  have  established  a  new  and  peculiar 
theology;  but  it  would  not  have  been  such  a  one  as 
that  which  now  goes  under  his  name.  In  this  sense,  the 
stigma  of  "Infidelity,"  affixed  by  one  class  who  think  for 
themselves  in  religious  matters,  upon  others  who  think 


INFIDELITY  NO  REPROACH.  29 

with  quite  as  much  if  not  more  learning  and  earnestness 
to  back  them,  is  but  an  idle  word.  It  is  more  despicable 
than  an  idle  word,  when  applied  to  those  who  worship 
God  after  the  dictates  of  their  own  hearts  and  consciences, 
believing  that  love  to  God  and  good  works  constitute 
the  whole  duty  of  man.  The  Church  may  vent  its  ana- 
themas ever  so  vehemently,  now  as  heretofore;  yet  let  it 
not  close  its  eyes  to  the  fact,  that  this  religion  has  so 
deep  a  root  in  men's  natures,  that  it  will  ere  long  dis- 
perse the  cloud  of  theology  with  which  the  Church  has 
endeavored  to  overshadow  it.  In  fact  it  has  already  done 
so  to  a  much  larger  extent  than  appears  on  the  surface, 
among  the  learned,  scientific,  thinking,  and  reasoning 
men  of  our  country.  Nor  will  it  long  be  confined  to  the 
learned  and  scientific ;  while, .  as  for  the  thinking  and 
reasoning  classes — with  the  avenues  of  knowledge  now 
opening  to  them,  they  will  soon  become  the  majority,  and 
will  then  not  hesitate  to  declare  themselves  openly  in 
favor  of  the  first  and  only  religion. 

Indeed  its  influence  has  spread  even  to  the  clergy 
themselves.  Even  their  minds,  usurped  as  they  are  in 
most  instances  by  the  prejudices  of  education  and  the 
emoluments  of  their  profession,  are  very  much  expanded 
by  the  developments  of  scientific  investigation,  acting 
upon  and  co-operating  with  their  own  innate  conscious- 
ness of  truth.  The  effect  is,  that  while  they  do  not 
preach  with  the  enthusiasm  of  olden  times  on  such  sub- 
jects as  eternal  punishment,  the  personality,  power,  and 
influence  of  the  devil,  man's  total  degeneracy,  the  ven- 
geance of  the  Almighty,  and  so  forth — those  of  them, 
who  do  not  drawl  out  their  common-place  sermons  as  if 
they  neither  themselves  believed  them  nor  intended  others 
to  believe  them,  are  a  little  more  rational  in  their  course. 


30  ONE   RELIGION:    MANY  CREEDS. 

If  they  are  not  bold  enough  to  enunciate  principles 
directly  in  accordance  with  natural  truths,  they  tread 
lightly  on  the  subject,  and  confine  themselves  to  such 
themes  as  will  enable  them  to  make  a  compromise  with 
scientific  developments.  The  reign  of  terror,  which  the 
pulpit  once  exercised,  has  departed — Ichabod  is  written 
upon  it.  It  has  a  rival  in  the  press,  which  now  occupies 
the  intellectual  throne,  and  has  things  to  say,  whereto 
the  pulpit  must  succumb.  And  whenever  the  two  come 
in  conflict,  it  is  not  the  pulpit  that  is  finally  appealed 
to,  as  it  once  was.  It  is  the  judgment  of  public  opinion 
through  this  potent  medium,  the  press,  that  obtains  the 
mastery. 

Internal  dissensions,  too,  are  vastly  weakening  to  the 
cause  of  dogmatic  Christianity.  Sects  are  everywhere 
multiplied,  and  are  multiplying;  but  theology  is  neither 
strengthened  nor  increased  thereby.  In  fact,  it  loses 
ground  every  time  there  is  a  split  made  in  it.  This  is 
as  though  another  blow  were  struck  upon  the  wedge  in- 
troduced into  the  block  of  error.  It  is  an  addition  to  the 
force  that  is  destined  to  rive  theology  asunder  and  beat 
it  into  fragments,  so  that  it  may  be  ground  into  powder 
and  scattered  to  the  four  winds.  It  is  its  own  destruc- 
tion— not  the  destruction  merely  of  one  of  its  parts, 
because  every  sect,  however  much  it  may  differ  from  or 
denounce  its  rival,  derives  its  authority  from  Moses  or  the 
Gospels.  Even  Mormonism,  the  last  gasping  effort  of 
modern  civilization  to  establish  a  religion  upon  the  Bible, 
finds  a  sufficient  justification  for  polygamy  in  the  practice 
of  Abraham  and  the  Jewish  patriarchs,  who — therein 
declared  to  be  not  only  the  true  servants  of  God,  but 
most  favored  by  Him — are  the  very  men  that  most  in- 
dulged in  it.  The  great  majority  of  those,  who  accept 


THE  CHRISTIAN  HEAVEN.  31 

Christianity,  consists  of  the  poor.  They  go  to  church 
and  hear  it  announced  that  it  is  to  them  that  the  Gospel 
is  preached,  and  that  it  is  easier  for  a  camel  to  go  through 
the  eye  of  a  needle  than  for  a  rich  man  to  enter  into 
the  kingdom  of  Heaven.  They  are  told  that  Heaven  is 
a  place  where  the  poor  of  this  world  are  recompensed  for 
their  poverty  and  misery — a  place  wherein  they  them- 
selves will  be  rich  and  powerful,  wherein  they  will  wear 
white  robes  and  golden  crowns,  and  whence  they  will  be 
graciously  permitted  to  look  down  with  the  greatest  com- 
placency— not  altogether  unmixed  with  human  or  even 
with  inhuman  satisfaction — upon  the  misery  of  those 
Dives  in  Hell,  who  did  not  give  them  all  they  had  in  this 
world,  now  in  vain  asking  them  for  a  drop  of  water  to 
cool  their  burning  tongues.  Of  this  class  we  say  the 
Church  is  largely  made  up,  because  of  the  encouragement 
and  consolation  they  derive  or  imagine  they  derive  from 
the  above  description  of  teaching.  Others  go  to  church 
for  fashion's  sake,  recreation,  excitement,  and  novelty — 
in  short,  more  to  see  than  to  hear,  and  to  be  amused  by 
the  priest  flaunting  before  their  eyes  his  embroidered 
garments,  the  frippery  of  stole  and  vestment,  and  all 
the  paraphernalia  of  ecclesiastical  millinery.  In  Roman 
Catholic  countries  the  churches  are  left  almost  wholly  to 
the  women ;  in  Protestant  countries  a  minority  of  men 
still  attend,  but  mostly  as  a  duty  enforced  by  custom  and 
fashion,  or  with  the  hope  of  being  entertained  if  the 
preacher  be  what  is  called  a  popular  one.  If  not,  and 
they  think  it  adds  to  their  respectability,  they  go  and 
listen  with  what  insornnolency  they  can  to  an  uninterest- 
ing discourse,  which  tells  them  nothing  they  did  not 
know  before,  and  too  much  that  flatly  contradicts  the 
pure  truths  of  science  and  common-sense  facts.  But  this 


33  ONE  RELIGION:   MANY  CREEDS. 

state  of  things  must  soon  fall  into  decay.  Indeed  we 
find  that  even  those,  who  are  in  high  places  and  receiving 
large  emoluments  from  the  ecclesiastical  system  to  which 
they  are  attached,  are  dropping  off,  one  by  one,  from  the 
decaying  old  tree  that  has  supplied  them  with  shelter  and 
support,  and  are  coming  out  boldly  in  defence  of  the 
right.  Their  reason  becomes  too  strong  for  that  dead 
faith  which  was  instilled  into  them,  and  which  they  have 
been  trying  to  instill  into  others,  until  their  better  sense 
and  better  judgment,  aided  by  other  minds  and  genuine 
truths,  have  compelled  them  to  abandon  it. 

In  the  first  place,  they  have  removed  out  of  the  way 
that  greatest  of  all  stumbling  blocks,  "The  Pentateuch," 
which,  when  tested  by  the  truths  of  geological  discovery, 
is  shown  to  be  a  mass  of  crude  absurdities. 

And  now,  in  the  next  place,  not  only  is  the  rest  of  the 
Old  Testament  to  be  submitted  to  the  same  and  similar 
tests,  but  the  New  Testament  also  must  submit  to  go 
through  the  crucible  of  investigation,  and  stand  or  fall  by 
the  ordeal.  Everywhere  there  is  fermentation  of  thought. 
Science,  we  admit,  has  not  yet  overthrown  theology  and 
mythology  vi  et  armis,  by  battering  at  their  ancient 
walls ;  but  she  has  been  and  is  still — quietly  and  slowly, 
yet  perceptibly- — sapping  and  mining  them  to  the  very 
foundation.  She  is  proving  her  own  truths,  as  well  as 
that  great  and  divine  principle,  that  no  one  truth,  great 
or  small,  can  ever  be  hostile  to,  contradict,  or  disprove 
another.  She  is  showing,  by  an  examination  of  every- 
thing in  Nature,  that  God  is  infinite  in  goodness,  infinite 
in  wisdom,  and  infinite  in  truth.  That  He  cannot  be 
what  the  Pentateuch  proclaims  him  to  be — a  God  who 
has  fits  of  anger,  who  errs  and  repents  of  it,  who  can  be 
at  one  time  what  he  is  not  at  another.  Geology  has 


SCIENCE  UNDERMINING  THEOLOGY.  33 

demonstrated  that  the  eartli  must  be  more  than  six 
thousand  years  old.  It  may  be  six  hundred  thousand,  or 
six  hundred  millions,  or  as  much  longer  as  the  imagin- 
ation can  stretch,  for  all  that  we  know.  But  one  thing 
is  certain — it  is  proved  as  conclusively  as  by  a  mathe- 
matical demonstration,  that  there  is  no  semblance  of 
truth  in  the  Jewish  computation,  that  it  was  called  into 
existence  so  recently  as  the  Scriptures  assert.  Astronomy, 
too,  has  proved  that,  so  far  from  the  earth  being  the  most 
important  body  in  our  solar  system,  it  is  one  of  the  three 
least;  that  our  solar  system  itself — the  majestic  sun  and 
all  the  orbs  that  circle  around  him — is  but  a  comparative 
speck  in  the  infinite  immensity  of  the  sidereal  universe ; 
and  that  the  faint  light  of  the  great  Nebula  in  Orion, 
seen  in  the  summer  sky,  takes  sixty-seven  thousand 
years  to  travel  from  that  remote  portion  of  the  universe 
to  our  little  globe,  and  become  visible  to  the  eyes  of  men. 
In  fact  the  world  has  come,  or  is  fast  coming,  to  that 
advanced  state  of  progress,  when  the  men,  who  really 
think  for  themselves  in  spiritual  matters  as  independently 
as  they  compare  and  judge  in  the  actual  business  of  their 
lives,  will  subject  all  the  so-called  sacred  books  of  all 
creeds  to  thorough  examination,  and  relegate  them  to  the 
same  pedestals  as  are  occupied  by  the  Iliad  and  the 
Odyssey,  or  the  early  histories  of  ancient  nations.  They 
will  believe  all  that  is  credible,  and  reject  all  that  is 
manifestly,  mathematically  and  positively  false.  To 
those — and  they  include  many  of  the  leading  minds  of 
our  time — who  are  too  timid,  and  to  some  who  are  not 
too  timid  to  declare  themselves,  as  well  as  to  vast  num- 
bers who  show  their  new  faith,  or  rather  the  rejection 
of  their  old  faith,  by  the  negative  process  of  refusing  to 
lend  any  public  countenance  to  it,  the  conviction  has 
3 


34  ONE  RELIGION:  MANY  CREEDS. 

• 
become  too  strong  to  be  avoided,  that  God  has  revealed 

Himself  to  mankind  only  through  His  works  as  exhibited 
by  the  eternal  world,  and  through  the  inherent  intuitions, 
faculties  and  perceptions,  placed  in  the  soul  and  mind  of 
each  individual.  He  holds  no  one  accountable  for  a  belief 
in  the  written  or  spoken  words  of  any  man  or  any  set  of 
men.  Men  are  to  be  relied  upon,  only  so  far  as  they 
describe  the  physical,  moral  and  intellectual  laws  of  God, 
in  accordance  with  other  natural  truths. 

In  view  of  this  advancement  of  the  human  race,  and 
of  the  numerous  discoveries  of  modern  science,  each  one 
of  which  is  consistent  with  the  other,  and  with  the  bene- 
ficent nature  and  unchanging  and  unchangeable  laws  and 
purposes  of  the  Creator — in  view  of  the  hollowness  of 
the  religious  systems,  through  which  endeavors  have  been 
made  for  many  ages  back  to  impose  upon  mankind  a 
belief  in  stories  and  traditions  that  it  is  impossible  to 
accept — in  view  of  the  attempted  disparagement  of  the 
religion  of  nature  and  conscience,  which  these  efforts  have 
produced,  as  well  as  the  vast  amount  of  hypocrisy  which 
they  have  caused  amongst  the  multitude  of  ordinary  men, 
who  pretend  to  believe  for  fashion's  sake,  or  to  save 
themselves  the  trouble  and  inconvenience  of  standing  out 
against  any  established  system — in  view  of  all  this,  the 
time  seems  to  have  arrived  for  protesting  against  all  false 
cosmogonies,  theologies,  and  mythologies,  through  which 
the  designing  have  held  more  or  less  pernicious  sway 
over  the  mind  and  means  of  the  many  for  so  long  a 
period.  As  long  as  these  attempts  are  permitted  to 
trammel  the  minds  and  influence  the  conduct  of  men  and 
debase  true  religion,  they  act  as  fetters  upon  the  intellect 
and  impede  the  progress  of  mankind.  A  Protest,  to  be 
in  accordance  with  the  intelligence  of  the  day,  must  be 


A  PROTEST  AGAINST  THEOLOGIES.  35 

one  against  the  idea  that  death  is  a  new  comer,  or  that 
the  inhabitants  of  the  earth,  from  man  downwards  to  the 
lowest  animalcule,  were  not  intended  for  deatli  from  the 
beginning.  It  must  protest  against  the  idea  that  deatli 
is  an  evil,  or  anything  but  a  blessing,  and  a  step  of  the 
soul  in  its  infinite  progression  from  good  to  better.  It 
must  protest  against  the  idea  that  there  is  any  evil, 
except  that  which  is  caused  by  man's  ignorant  or  wilful 
breach  of  divine  laws,  inasmuch  as  all  else  which  seems 
to  be  evil  appears  so  only  on  account  of  our  imperfect 
knowledge,  and  must  be  good  in  the  ulterior  purposes  of 
a  God  who  is  all  perfection.  It  must  protest  against  the 
idea  that  labor  is  a  curse  imposed  upon  man  in  conse- 
quence of  transgression,  and  assert,  on  the  contrary,  that 
it  is  a  prime  and  chief  blessing,  the  educator  of  the  body, 
the  elevator  of  the  mind,  the  sweetener  and  enhancer  of 
the  multifarious  enjoyments  of  life.  It  must  protest 
against  the  idea  inculcated  in  the  Old  Testament  of  the 
Jews,  and  thence  conveyed  into  the  New  Testament  of 
the  Chfistians,  that  God's  purpose  was  ever  changed  by 
man's  transgression,  or  by  man's  intercession,  or  by  any 
other  agency  whatsoever.  It  must  protest  a.s  Christ  pro- 
tested, and  reject  the  barbarous  and  blood-thirsty  creed  of 
the  Jews,  and  specially  those  portions  of  that  creed  which 
have  corrupted  that  which  Jesus  taught,  and  which  were 
introduced  into  it  after  his  crucifixion  by  his  ignorant 
disciples,  and  form  no  portion  of  the  divine  doctrine  that 
God  is  infinite  in  goodness  and  wisdom,  and  that  it  is  the 
duty  of  men  to  love  God  and  one  another.  It  must  pro- 
test against  the  idea  that  it  is  any  part  of  God's  pur- 
pose— out  of  revenge,  or  from  any  other  motive — to  punish 
man  in  everlasting  fire,  or  by  any  other  torment  beyond 
the  grave,  for  the  deeds  done  in  the  body,  such  a  doctrine 


36  ONE  RELIGION:   MANY  CREEDS. 

being  totally  inconsistent  with  God's  goodness.     It  must 

protest  against  the  idea  that  God,  out  of  His  mere  grace 

or  favor,  has  elected  a  remnant  of  mankind  to  be  saved, 

to   the  exclusion  of  the   majority,  as  being  inconsistent 

with  his  even-handed  justice.     It  must  protest   against 

the  idea  that  man  can  commit  any  sin  for  which  God  has 

not  provided  adequate  punishment,  that  is  inflicted  on  the 

offender,   not  vicariously  or   vindictively,  but  to  the  end 

that  God  had  in  view,  at  the  creation — and  this  end  was 

that,  under  the  training  provided  for  the  purpose,  all  men 

should,  eventually,  be  brought  to  understand  and  do  His 

will.     It  must  protest  that  God  is  never  moved  to  anger, 

nor  can  He  be  surprised  or  disappointed  by  anything  that 

man  may  do,  for  He  observes  with  perfect  complacency 

all  His  works,  all  His   creatures,  and   all  their  doings, 

knowing  that  by  the  gradual  fulfilment  of  His  original 

purposes,    all  things   will   work   together   in    a   manner 

entirely  consistent  therewith.     It   must   protest  against 

the  idea  that  any  man's  fate  is  altered  by  the  prayers  of 

the  Church,  either  before  or  after  his  decease — this  being 

inconsistent  with  God's  foreknowledge,  and  His  ability 

to   provide  for  all  possible  contingencies  from  the  first. 

It  must  protest  "against  all  teaching  which  is  contrarv  to 

this  view.     It  must  protest  against  receiving  the   facts 

recorded  by  either  Moses  or  the  Apostles,  as  other  than 

mere  statements  resting  upon  human  testimony,  to  be 

judged  of  as  evidence  is  judged  of  in  a  court  of  justice, 

and  to  be  credited  only  when  consistent  with  each  other, 

with  Nature,  with  probability,  and  with  the  goodness  of 

God.     In  fine,  it  must  protest  against  everything  which 

is  not  in  accordance  with  the  substance  of  these  following 

propositions,  derived  from  natural  teaching,  and  confirmed 

by  an  innate  consciousness  of  their  truth :  that  it  is  no 


GOD  ALL  POWERFUL.  37 

part  of  religion  to  entertain  any  other  faith  or  belief, 
than  that  there  is  but  one  God — that  this  one  God  is 
omnipotent,  and  that  His  perfections  are  infinite — that 
He  rules  all  things  by  laws,  which,  like  Himself,  are 
unchangeable — that  all  men  are  alike  amenable  to  His 
];i\vs  in  person — and  that  He  requires  that  we  should 
exercise  ourselves  in  good  offices  one  toward  another, 
and  toward  all  sentient  beings.  All  faiths  and  beliefs, 
which  are  inconsistent  with  these  broad 'axioms,  are  more 
or  less  pernicious.  And  most  undoubtedly  all  faiths  and 
beliefs  respecting  God,  which  are  propounded  for  the 
entertainment  of  men,  and  which  are  not  consistent  with 
His  infinite  power,  knowledge,  goodness,  and  impartial 
justice,  are  untrue  and  to  be  deprecated. 

God's  perfections  are  the  touchstone  by  which  to  test 
the  genuineness  of  our  faith.  In  working  out  His  plans 
and  designs,  He  needs  not,  nor  did  He  contemplate,  the 
assistance  of  any  such  persons  as  Christ  and  the  Holy 
Ghost,  who  are  called  divine;  or  of  the  Virgin  Mary,  who 
is  said  to  be  immaculate  and  the  mother  of  God.  There 
is  no  personal,  nor  imaginary  Devil ;  nor  is  it  possible 
that  there  can  be  any.  Man  is  as  God  originally  created 
him,  and  as  God  originally  intended  and  provided  he 
should  be,  to  the  end  that  all  shall  in  good  time  adore 
Him  from  a  sense  of  His  goodness  to  each  and  all.  God's 
perfections  are  proof  positive  that  the  laws  which  He 
established  for  the  government  of  all  things  are  absolute 
and  incapable  of  amendment,  and  therefore  must  endure 
perpetually.  They  can  neither  be  changed  nor  made 
better.  Hence,  neither  Jesus  nor  His  disciples,  nor  any 
other  creature  ever  had,  by  any  special  providence,  the 
power  either  inherent  or  granted  for  the  working  of  mira- 
cles. Any  pretended  occurrence  or  phenomenon,  not  in 


38  ONE  RELIGION:   MANY  CREEDS. 

accordance  with  the  ordinary  course  of  nature,  is  falla- 
cious. There  is  much  in  the  Bible,  in  relation  to  God 
and  His  attributes,  which  is  inconsistent  with  His  per- 
fections and  therefore  must  be  untrue;  hence  the  Bible 
cannot  be  said  to  be  infallible. 

In  speaking  of  the  Church,  we  use  the  word,  in  every 
instance,  in  its  broad  sense,  not  as  applying  to  any  par- 
ticular denomination  or  sect,  but  to  all  alike  who  make 
any  part  of  their  doctrine  or  creed  to  consist  of  any  one 
or  more  of  the  things  here  cited  as  being  inconsistent 
with  God's  perfect  attributes.  Any  one  of  the  many 
sects  may  denounce  the  doctrines  of  the  others,  with 
whom  the}'  do  not  agree.  We  claim  the  same  privilege, 
and  shall  address  ourselves  against  any  and  all,  who  hold 
to  dogmas  and  theologies  which  we  conceive  to  be  not  in 
accordance  with  the  nature,  and  perfections,  and  omnipo- 
tence of  God. 

The  new  protest  must  avoid  the  short-comings  and 
errors  of  its  predecessors.  It  is  not  enough,  in  our  day, 
to  protest  against  that  which  is  false  in  theology;  it  is 
essentially  necessary  to  affirm  that  which  is  true.  In 
addition  to  what  is  done  spontaneously  by  the  heart  and 
conscience,  it  has  hitherto  been  the  office  of  poets,  rather 
than  of  preachers,  to  "vindicate  the  ways  of  God  to 
man;"  but  science  has  now  stepped  into  the  arena,  and 
has  become  a  more  powerful  vindicator  of  God's  good- 
ness and  wisdom  than  either  priest  or  poet.  Science  and 
theology  may  be  antagonistic  powers ;  but  science  and 
the  religion  of  the  heart  march  together,  side  by  side,  and 
together  they  will  achieve  a  signal  victory  over  the  errors 
and  false  teachings  that  have  trammelled  the  minds  of 
men  from  the  earliest  ages.  The  intelligent  and  un- 
shackled enquirer  studies  the  so-called  sacred  books  of 


THE  TEACHINGS  OF  THE  BOOK  OF  NATURE.     39 

the  Jews  and  Christians,  and  finds  what  of  divine  truth 
there  is  in  them  so  over-ridden  and  contradicted  by,  and 
so  subordinated  to,  human  dogmas — repugnant  alike  to 
intuitive  religion,  conscience,  and  common  sense — that  no 
consolation  or  healing  for  the  soul,  or  satisfaction  for  the 
intellect,  can  be  extracted  therefrom.  He  who  hungers 
and  thirsts  for  the  true  bread  and  water  of  life,  which 
leads  man  heavenward,  will  hunger  and  thirst  in  vain,  if 
he  expects  to  find  it  in  the  Bible  or  the  doctrines  of  the 
Church.  But  when  the  truly  religious  man  studies  the 
great  open  volume  of  Nature,  he  discovers  nothing  to 
weaken  or  contradict;  everything  in  it  tends  to  strengthen 
and  canfirm  the  great  and  fundamental  idea — the  only 
possible  basis  of  a  true  and  living  religion — that  God  is 
infinite,  eternal,  unchangeable,  and  all-wise.  Nothing 
can  eradicate  the  impression  which  it  makes  upon  us,  to 
the  effect  that  He  is  good  and  kind  to  all  His  creatures, 
and  that  He  cannot  have  created  man  in  order  to  make 
him  miserable  either  here  or  hereafter.  The  diligent 
student  of  this  sublime  book — whether  he  gathers  instruc- 
tion from  the  little  globe  of  which  man  is  the  noblest 
inhabitant,  or  whether  he  seeks  it  with  a  devout  and 
reverential  spirit  from  the  gorgeous  host  of  suns  and 
planetary  systems  that  fill  the  remotest  regions  of  space 
and  by  their  number  and  magnitude  reduce  this  globe  of 
ours  comparatively  to  the  dimensions  of  a  grain  of  sand 
on  the  sea  shore  of  creation — will  observe  in  it,  through- 
out, the  universality  of  law  and  the  most  perfect  mathe- 
matical consistency.  Every  newly  discovered  truth  will 
be  found  to  be  in  perfect  harmony  with  the  whole.  He 
will  recognize  as  a  principle  and  as  a  fact,  that  the  laws 
of  God,  which  are  perfect  and  invariable  now,  must  have 
been  perfect  and  invariable  from  the  first,  and  that  in 


40  ONE  RELIGION:  MANY  CREEDS. 

this  world — as  in  the  countless  worlds  of  all  the  galaxies 
of  space — they  accomplish  everlastingly  the  exact  original 
purpose  of  their  divine  author.  He  will  also  recognize  that 
God's  intention  in  creating  the  universe,  and  placing  man 
upon  the  earth — and,  for  all  we  know,  in  millions  of 
other  worlds  even  more  glorious  than  this — cannot  have 
been  thwarted  by  any  agency,  mortal  or  immortal.  It 
has  been  carried  out  from  the  beginning ;  and  it  will  be 
carried  out  in  exact  conformity  with  His  will  and  fore- 
knowledge throughout  all  eternity.  Every  atom  of  mat- 
ter, and  the  faintest  flickering  of  mind  that  ever  existed, 
was  made  subservient  to  the  accomplishment  of  a  definite 
purpose,  and  was  endowed,  from  the  creation,  with  all 
the  properties,  qualities,  forces,  and  faculties  necessary  to 
fulfil  that  purpose,  without  any  further  supervision. 

Among  the  agencies  which  perform  important  offices  in 
the  production  of  the  various  phenomena  of  Nature  are 
light  and  darkness,  heat  and  cold,  negative  and  positive 
electricity,  magnetism,  the  centripetal  and  centrifugal 
forces,  chemical  affinities  and  repulsions,  gravitation, 
attraction,  and  probably  other  instrumentalities  of  which 
science  has  not  yet  discovered  the  secret.  These  agencies 
are  only  perceptible  to  man,  through  their  action  on  visi- 
ble and  tangible  matter.  It  required  ^he  accumulated 
experience  of  centuries,  and  a  high  state  of  mental  cul- 
ture in  succeeding  generations,  before  Philosophy  could 
either  discover  or  comprehend  them  even  to  the  present 
limited  extent. 

Man  has  never  had  any  true  conception  of  God  or  His 
attributes,  except  through  the  medium  of  His  creation. 
By  means  of  the  phenomena  presented  to  man  through 
the  material  world,  through  the  action  of  infinite  mind 
upon  inorganic  matter,  through  life  as  exhibited  in  ani- 


LABOR,  PAIN  AND  DEATH,  NOT  EVILS.  41 

mals  and  plants,  and  through  the  emotions  and  aspira- 
tions of  the  human  soul,  God  has  revealed  Himself  to 
man — and  thus  only.  By  these  means,  the  revelation  is 
abundantly  sufficient  to  enable  all  men  to  fulfil  God's 
will  and  purpose.  By  these  means,  to  the  full  extent 
of  their  intelligence  and  their  needs,  will  they  be  enabled 
to  perform  the  duties  that  are  required  of  them  so  long  as 
they  remain  in  this  world;  and,  by  analogy,  it  may  be 
concluded  that,  after  they  have  quitted  it,  they  will  be 
similarly  aided,  through  some  means  not  revealed  to  us. 
With  this  great  and  glorious  revelation  open  before  him — 
the  divine  instruction  written  on  the  soul  of  man — how 
can  he  fail  to  keep  within  the  bounds  of  duty  and  love  to 
God? 

Three  words,  which  theologians  employ  in  a  sense  at 
variance  with  truth,  and  with  God's  wisdom  in  creating 
the  world,  and  by  which  the  minds  of  men  have  been 
enthralled  to  their  damage,  are  Labor,  Pain,  and  Death. 
They  have  been  represented  as  evils,  and  as  forming  no 
part  of  God!s  original  purpose  in  placing  man  upon  the 
earth.  A  great  portion  of  the  human  race  has  been 
taught  for  thousands  of  years,  that  for  man's  disobedience 
to  a  supposed  command — which  God  never  can  have 
given,  with  the  threatened  penalties  for  a  breach  of  it, 
and  under  all  the  circumstances  claimed  by  the  Church — 
labor  was  imposed  upon  him  as  a  curse ;  that  pain  was 
introduced  as  a  punishment  instigated  by  God's  anger ; 
and  that  death — no  part  of  God's  first  intention — was 
made  the  doom  of  every  living  thing.  And  this  ancient 
fable  still  exercises  a  pernicious  influence,  although  men 
are  gradually  beginning  to  understand  as  regards  labor 
and  pain,  that  they  are  by  no  means  evils,  but  a  part  of 
the  economy  of  God's  will  toward  man  in  this  world. 


42  ONE   RELIGION:    MANY  CREEDS. 

Instead  of  being  a  curse,  labor,  to  a  legitimate  extent,  is 
found  to  be  a  blessing ;  and  this  law  refers  not  alone  to 
man  and  the  earth,  but  to  the  whole  Universe.  We 
admit  that  excess  of  labor  is  an  evil ;  but  so,  also,  is 
excess  in  anything.  It  is  beneficial  to  eat  and  to  drink  ; 
but  prejudicial  to  eat  and  drink  too  much.  It  is  delight- 
ful to  labor  ;  but  disagreeable  to  exhaust  one's  self  in 
doing  in  one  day  the  work  of  two  or  three  days.  It  is 
labor,  labor  alone,  that  raises  man  to  his  true  position. 
It  is  imposed  upon  him  for  no  angry  or  revengeful  pur- 
pose— if  such  were  possible  to  God — but  with  the  kindest 
intention.  It  was  instituted  to  promote  his  happiness,  in 
order  that  he  might  be  induced  to  improve  his  faculties, 
physical,  moral  and  intellectual.  He  is  born  naked;  out 
of  his  necessities  come  mental  and  physical  cultivation, 
civilization,  and  all  the  ennobling  arts  and  graces  that 
follow  in  its  train.  In  the  gratification  of  man's  wants 
consists  the  enjoyment  of  life ;  for,  if  he  had  no  wants  in 
this  life,  he  would  have  no  pleasures.  Were  he  to  draw 
his  food  out  of  the  atmosphere  by  the  act  of  breathing, 
had  he  no  call  to  cultivate  the  earth  or  to  labor  for  shelter 
or  covering,  he  would  be  without  that  stimulant  and  that 
incentive  to  do  and  be  doing — without  that  prompting  to 
activity  of  body  and  spirit — which  is  indispensable  to 
buoyancy,  and  health,  and  the  giving  zest  to  life.  Action 
is  the  order  of  nature.  The  air  sweeps  over  hill  and  dale. 
It  dallies  wantonly  with  the  foliage,  and  on  the  surface  of 
the  waters.  It  rustles  in  the  trees,  plays  with  the  grass 
and  the  flowers  of  the  fields,  and  fans  the  waving  grain 
that  sways  gracefully  before  its  breath.  The  clouds  move 
majestically  about  from  one  part  of  the  heavens  to  another. 
The  sea  uplifts  its  waves  for  joy,  and  embraces  again  and 
again  the  rock-bound  shore,  leaving  its  impress  and  its 


PAIN— DEATH.  43 

bounds  in  circles  on  the  sands,  as  it  daily  ebbs  and  flows. 
The  animals  participate  in  this  general  law  of  existence. 
They  are  ever  busy,  providing  for  and  protecting  them- 
selves in  every  emergency.  And  thus  we  see  that  all 
nature  is  alive  with  activity. 

Stop  the  wheels  of  Nature, 
And  Nature  will  cease  to  be. 

Let  stagnation  lay  her  hand  upon  the  earth,  and  this 
fair  and  lovely  Paradise,  now  instinct  with  movement 
and  health,  will  become  the  dreary  seat  of  sterility  and 
death. 

In  like  manner,  pain,  thought  to  be  a  curse  secondary 
only  to  death,  is  not«only  useful,  but  necessary  and  bene- 
ficent. It  is  a  special  warning  to  us  that  something  has 
gone  wrong,  and  may  go  further  wron£,  in  this  our  curious 
and  mysterious  physical  constitution,  if  we  do  not  see  to 
it  to  set  the  wrong  right. 

Pain  is  the  friend  and  guardian  of  the  wise. 

Would'st  place  thy  hand 
In  the  consuming  and  destroying  fire, 
And  ask  it  not  to  burn  ?     Would'st  fall  from  heights 
Upon  the  strong  bosom  of  the  earth, 
And  ask  it  not  to  bruise?     Would'st  break  the  laws 
That  govern  and  uphold  the  universe, 
The  modulation  of  harmonious  Heaven, 
And,  without  knowledge  of  thy  sacrifice, 
Destroy  thy  being  ?     Wise,  and  good,  and  just 
Are  all  the"  laws  and  purposes  of  God. 

Death  is  naturally  the  dread  of  all,  to  the  end  that  all 
may  cling  to  life  while  they  may ;  yet  death  is  no  more 
an  evil,  than  pain  or  labor.  The  world  was  constituted 


44  ONE  RELIGION  :   MANY  CREEDS. 

and  prepared  for  death  from  the  beginning.  Millions  of 
years  ago,  as  geology  has  discovered,  there  were  life  ami 
death  on  this  globe  ;  life  and  death  in  the  waters,  and  on 
the  dry  land.  A  square  inch  of  the  chalky  cliffs  of  Dover 
or  the  Isle  of  Wight  contains  the  shells  of  myriads  of 
minute  sea-fish,  that  must  have  lived  and  died  hundreds 
of  thousands  of  centuries  ago — even  before  the  world  was 
ready  for  the  habitation  of  man,  and  consequently  before 
man's  transgression  could  have  involved  this  supposed 
penalty. 

Death  is  no  evil.     Cease,  0,  foolish  man, 
Thy  querulous  moaning,  and  consider  death 
No  longer  as  thy  foe.     A  ministering  saint, 
Her  hand  shall  lead  thee  step  by  step  to  God. 
Be  worthy  of  her  ;  and  so  learn  .to  live, 
That  every  incarnation  of  thy  soul 
In  other  worlds,  and  spheres,  and  firmaments, 
Shall  be  more  perfect.     God's  eternity 
Is  thine  to  live  in. 

This  we  hold  to  be  man's  destiny  hereafter ;  and  it  is 
his  high  privilege  to  participate  in  working  out  the 
supreme  happiness  in  store  for  him.  Discarding  there- 
fore all  these  obsolete  and  unworthy  ideas  of  labor,  pain, 
and  death — products  of  the  early  want  of  knowledge  by 
man,  and  the  erroneous  teaching  of  theologians — and 
investigating  fairly  and  candidly  the  capabilities  of  man, 
and  the  purposes  of  God  in  creating  him,  it  will  be  found 
by  the  study  of  natural  laws  that  man  is  especially 
charged,  within  certain  limits,  with  the  guardianship  of 
himself.  God  intended  that  man  should  participate  in 
taking  care  of  both  his  soul  and  his  body ;  that  he  should 
look  to  the  preservation  and  perpetuation  of  his  kind ; 
and  both  morally  and  physically  so  perform  the  duties 
imposed  upon  him  as  to  conduce  to  his  own  well-being, 


MAN'S  WONDERFUL  ORGANIZATION.  45 

and  the  well-being  of  his  fellow  men,  both  in  time  and  in 
eternity.  The  numerous  instincts,  appetites,  senses,  and 
other  faculties  with  which  he  is  endowed,  God  has  given 
him  as  guides  for  this  purpose.  Without  these  guides, 
he  might  fail  in  the  great  duty  of  self-preservation,  and 
the  procreation  of  his  kind,  so  as  to  endanger  the  continu- 
ance of  his  race.  Without  the  cravings  of  appetite  and 
the  pleasure  which  its  gratification  affords,  he  might  fail 
to  supply  himself  with  the  food  and  drink  requisite  to 
preserve  life.  But  for  the  suffering,  which  is  the  penalty 
of  neglect,  he  might  not  be  sufficiently  vigilant  in  pro- 
tecting himself  from  injury.  But  for  the  pain  and  dis- 
comfort which  are  the  necessary  and  wholesome  monitors 
of  excess,  he  might  habitually  indulge  in  eating  and 
drinking  too  much.  But  God's  goodness  and  care  do  not 
stop  here.  Besides  these  checks  and  admonitions  given 
to  him  for  his  improvement,  there  are  offices  to  be  per- 
formed on  his  behalf,  over  which  he  has  little  or  no 
control,  and  some  over  which  he  has  no  supervision 
whatever.  There  are  chemical  and  mechanical  processes 
continually  in  operation  within  him,  about  which  he 
knows  very  little,  and  of  which  God  has  altogether  taken 
charge.  These  are  so  completely  provided  for  in  his 
organization,  that  they  go  on  while  he  is  unmindful  of 
them.  Such  are,  the  circulation  of  the  blood,  the  draw- 
ing of  the  breath,  the  generation  of  vital  heat,  the  diges- 
tion of  food,  and  the  distribution  of  the  nourishment  thus 
obtained,  to  all  parts  of  the  body,  to  promote  growth  and 
serve  for  the  repair  of  the  system.  To  subserve  these 
ends,  and  to  give  rest  to  the  body  and  spirit,  in  order  to 
prevent  the  too  rapid  expenditure  of  vital  energy,  and  the 
consequent  premature  decay  of  the  beautiful  and  complex 
human  machine,  it  is  indispensable  that  the  active  brain 


46  ONE  RELIGION:  MANY  CREEDS. 

and  intellect  should,  at  certain  periods,  not  too  far  apart, 
be  brought  to  that  state  of  quiet  and  repose  which  sleep 
alone  can  superinduce.  Hence  it  is  put  out  of  man's 
power  to  resist  sleep  to  any  considerable  extent,  without 
injury  or  death.  And  thus  God's  laws  are  constantly 
operating  for  man's  benefit,  though  man  is  unconscious  or 
unmindful  of  the  kindly  despotism  by  which,  for  his  own 
good,  those  laws  are  imposed  upon  him. 

How  beautiful  and  full  of  goodness,  not  only  to  man, 
bat  to  all  living  creatures,  are  what  are  called  the 
instincts !  The  new-born  babe  is  taught  by  this  divine 
prompting,  the  moment  it  comes  into  the  world,  to  seek 
its  nourishment  at  the  mother's  breast.  All  living 

o 

things — the  bees,  the  ants,  the  beavers,  the  birds,  the 
wild  animals  of  whatever  description,  the  flocks  and  herds 
belonging  to  men,  even  the  flowers  and  herbs — are  gov- 
erned and  govern  themselves  by  the  instincts  which  God 
has  given  them,  and  are  preserved  to  life  and  enjoyment 
by  their  obedience  thereto.  This  is  in  accordance  with 
logic  of  the  highest  order ;  and  yet  these  happy  creatures 
do  not  reason  on  the  subject,  any  more  than  the  infant 
at  the  breast.  Instinct  is  as  divine  a  gift  as  reason 
itself.  It  is  the  gift  of  God  to  every  living  thing.  It  is 
implanted  upon  each  according  to  its  kind,  at  creation, 
and  transmitted  without  alteration  to  the  feeble  and  the 
strong  alike.  God's  superior  intelligence,  thus  made 
manifest  and  available  in  all  created  beings,  is  necessary 
to  the  divine  purpose.  Without  it,  no  living  creature  on 
the  earth  could  exist.  All  those  beings  that  people  the 
air,  the  earth,  or  the  waters — various  as  they  may  be  in 
their  forms  and  organization — have  each  their  own  set 
of  laws,  instincts,  and  intuitions,  which  are  especially 
adapted  to  them,  and  harmonize  in  the  most  minute  par- 


INSTANCES  OF  INSTINCT.  47 

ticular  with  their  structure  and  mode  of  life,  the  kind  and 
variety  of  their  food,  the  means  of  supply,  the  perpetua- 
tion and  nourishment  of  their  kind,  their  self-protection, 
and  whatever  is  necessary  to  their  existence  and  enjoy- 
ment. Eagles,  vultures,  hawks,  owls,  and  other  birds 
which  feed  upon  flesh,  have  beaks  and  claws  especially 
adapted  for  capturing  and  killing  their  prey  and  for 
dividing  asunder  their  food  into  convenient  quantities  to 
be  readily  devoured.  They  are  led  by  their  appetites  to 
crave  such  food  as  is  appropriate  to  their  nature ;  and 
under  the  influence  of  their  instincts  they  exercise  won- 
drous perseverance  and  adroitness  in  the  pursuit  of  it. 
Birds  that  feed  upon  carrion  have  the  power  of  scenting 
it  from  all  but  incredible  distances.  The  hare,  rabbit, 
and  many  other  animals,  which  from  their  structure  and 
propensities  are  not  well  fitted  for  self-defence,  fly  from 
danger,  and  employ  sometimes  speed,  and  sometimes 
stratagem  for  the  purpose.  The  deprivation  of  one  quality 
is  compensated  for,  by  the  gift  of  another  that  is  equally 
available  for  the  intended  object.  There  are  many  species 
of  insects  that  would  become  extinct,  if  instinct  had  not 
taught  them  to  shield  themselves  from  the  frost  of  winter 
by  burrowing  in  the  earth.  The  means  are  present ;  but 
to  make  burrowing  sufficient  to  the  end  in  view,  it  must- 
be  done  at  proper  times,  and  in  anticipation  of  the  frost. 
This  is  insured,  by  inherent  instructions  from  God. — 
Wolves  and  various  other  carnivorous  animals  pursue  a 
prey  which  leaves  a  scent  or  trail  upon  the  earth,  with  a 
marvellous  acuteness  of  smell,  while  animals  that  labor 
under  no  similar  need,  are  gifted  with  no  such  capacity. 
The  dog  is  enabled  to  scent  his  master  along  the  paved 
streets  of  populous  cities,  and  to  distinguish  his  trail  from 
that  of  others  crossing  or  intermingled  with  it,  even 


48  ONK  RELIGION:  MANY  CREEDS. 

though  hours  may  have  elapsed  between  the  tread  of  his 
master's  foot  and  the  pursuit.  The  instinct  of  self-pre- 
servation sometimes  assumes  the  form  of  cunning.  Some 
animals  feign  death,  in  the  presence  of  their  foe.  Many 
insects  do  the  same.  The  skunk,  when  alarmed  for  its 
safety,  emits  a  disagreeable  odor,  that  repels  or  disgusts 
its  pursuer.  The  cuttle-fish  when  in  peril  discharges  a 
black  liquid,  that  discolors  the  water  for  a  considerable 
distance  around  it,  and  prevents,  by  obscuration,  the  eye 
of  its  enemy  from  tracing  the  course,  upwards  or  down- 
wards or  lateral,  by  which  it  effects  its  escape.  The  hare, 
in  the  long  winters  of  far  Northern  latitudes,  changes  the 
summer  color  of  its  skin  to  that  of  the  snow  amid  which 
it  lives,  and  is  thus  enabled  to  elude  the  keen  glance  of 
the  bird  of  prey  high  up  in  the  air,  which  otherwise  would 
be  better  able  to  single  out,  pounce  upon,  and  destroy  it. 
The  feathers  of  the  grouse  that  feed  upon  the  moor  are  of 
the  color  of  the  moor  and  the  heather;  while  the  plumage 
of  the  ptarmigan,  that  dwells  among  the  granite  peaks  of 
the  highest  mountains  of  Scotland  and  Norway,  resembles 
granite  even  when  seen  from  a  short  distance.  The 
pheasant,  the  better  to  shield  her  young  and  helpless 
brood  from  approaching  danger,  feigns  to  be  crippled,  and 
flutters  away  from  her  chicks — that  hide  themselves — in 
such  a  way  as  to  draw  off  the  intruder  from  her  charge  by 
pretending  to  be,  herself,  an  easy  prey.  The  domestic 
hen  gathers  her  chickens  under  her  wings,  when  the  hawk 
or  falcon  soars  above,  a  mere  speck  in  the  sky.  She  does 
this  by  a  peculiar  call,  which  the  young  birds  understand 
and  obey  instinctively.  The  lamb  knows  the  bleat  of  its 
mother  among  all  the  sheep  of  a  flock,  however  numer- 
ous; and  the  mother  in  like  manner  distinguishes  the  cry 
of  her  own  progeny,  though  scores  of  lambs  may  be  bleat- 


INSTINCT  IN  VEGETATION.  49 

ing  simultaneously.  Thus,  manifestly  do  the  wisdom  and 
goodness  of  God  support  and  train  every  living  creature 
that  he  has  made,  throughout  the  whole  range  of  crea- 
tion. 

But  all  these  wonderful  provisions  in  Nature,  which 

harmonize  so  beautifully  with  the  peculiar  constitution, 
appetites,  means  of  support  and  protection  of  life,  that 
we  observe  in  animals,  are  a  most  emphatic  contradiction 
to  the  Christian  theory,  that,  before  the  Fall,  these  crea- 
tures were  not  antagonistic  to  each  other,  and  that  God 
did  not  contemplate  death  in  His  original  plan  at  the 
creation. 

Neither  the  physical  nor  the  spiritual  eye  of  man  can 
penetrate  any  department  of  Nature,  without  discovering 
objects  to  excite  wonder,  admiration,  and  worship.  Even 
the  members  of  the  vegetable  world  have  been  endowed 
with  something  analogous  to  the  instincts  of  the  animal 
creation.  The  roots  of  trees  and  plants  are  attracted  from 
considerable  distances  to  the  spot  where  the  nourishment 
that  best  suits  them  is  found  in  greatest  abundance,  and 
can  be  made  available  for  their  growth  and  development. 
Trees  that  grow  on  the  plains,  unsheltered  by  other  trees 
or  objects,  have  wider  and  deeper-spreading  roots  and  a 
firmer  hold  on  the  earth,  in  order  to  meet  their  greater 
needs,  and  put  out  their  strongest  roots  in  the  direction 
whence  come  the  prevailing  winds  and  rudest  blasts. 
Trees  in  the  dense  forest  vie  with  each  other,  as  men  do 
in  crowded  communities,  each  striving  to  tower  above  its 
neighbor  in  quest  of  that  abundance  of  sunlight  and  fresh 
air,  so  essential  to  its  existence  and  growth.  The  ivy 
and  the  vine  which  depend  on  their  sturdier  and  more 
earth-fast  neighbors  for  support,  when  they  rear  their 
delicate  foliage  to  the  light,  and  put  forth  their  tendrils  as 
4 


50  ONE  RELIGION :  MANY  CREEDS. 

though  they  were  fingers,  seem  to  discern  arid  choose  the 
friends  on  whom  to  lean,  and  straightway  incline  their 
stems  and  train  their  course  thitherward.  And  if  God 
has  given  instincts  to  the  trees,  the  grass,  and  the  flowers, 
by  which  they  preserve  their  existence  and  conform  to 
the  laws  of  their  well-being,  it  is  difficult  not  to  believe 
that  to  them  also,  in  one  sense,  is  given  a  certain  amount 
of  enjoyment.  The  sunshine  and  the  rain  must  give 
them  pleasure;  and  the  rose,  the  lily,  and  the  violet  may 
know  that  they  are  beautiful,  and  take  pleasure  in  the 
fact,  not  as  sensitively  perhaps,  as  the  beautiful  of  our 
own  species,  yet  in  a  degree.  It  may  not  be  altogether  a 
fancy  of  the  poet,  but  an  unsuspected  truth,  that  the 
trees,  which  quiver  to  the  summer  wind  or  bend  or  moan 
in  the  wintry  blast, 

*******    £0  men  unknown 

Have  pleasures  of  their  own, 
And  feel  sweet  sympathies  with  all  dear  Nature's  moods. 

We  deem  that  all  the  leaves, 

In  morns,  or  noons,  or  eves. 
Or  in  the  starry  stillness  of  the  night, 

May  point  to  Heaven  in  prayer, 

Or  bend  to  earth  and  share 
Some  joy  of  sense,  some  natural  delight; 

That  root,   and  branch,  and  stem, 

Partake  the  joy  with  them, 
And  feel  through  all  their  sap,  God's  goodness  infinite. 

God's  laws  provide  not  only  for  the  incessant  reproduc- 
tion or  recomposition  of  vegetable  and  animai  4ife,  so  as 
to  compensate  for  the  decay  which  time  has  been  commis- 
sioned to  operate  on  all  that  lives — thus  keeping  the  face 
of  nature  forever  fresh  and  beautiful — but  He  has  pro- 
vided that  the  earth  itself,  however  venerably  old,  shall 


RECUPERATIVE  POWERS  OF  NATURE.     51 

always  be  young,  always  fruitful,  always  bountiful,  always 
lovely.  The  same  recuperative  power,  that  exists  in  man 
and  animals,  exists  through  all  Nature.  The  waving 
fields  of  corn  and  grass,  when  too  rudely  pressed  by  the 
gale  or  storm,  or  disfigured  by  the  trail  of  man  or  beast, 
are  in  a  brief  space,  under  the  genial  influence  of  the 
sun,  the  breezes,  and  the  inscrutable  laws  of  Nature — 
which  train  plants  heavenward — put  to  rights,  if  such  a 
phrase  may  be  used,  and  restored  to  their  original  beauty. 
The  majestic  oak,  shattered  by  the  lightning,  and  deprived 
of  vitality,  does  not  forever  stand  a  gloomy  object  in  the 
landscape.  The  ivy,  "friend  and  adorner  of  decay,"  as 
if  in  sympathy  with  its  fate,  binds  up,  as  it  were,  its 
wounds,  its  nakedness,  its  seared  old  trunk  and  limbs, 
and  renders  it  beautiful  with  its  owrt  life,  turning  its 
helplessness  to  cheerful  purposes.  Even  at  the  fall  of 
the  leaf,  and  in  the  old  age  of  the  year,  when  the  land- 
scape is  disrobed  of  its  verdure,  Nature  does  not  cease  to 
be  lovely.  She  bestows  upon  each  season  its  own  com- 
pensations in  the  present,  for  what  it  may  have  lost  in 
the  past.  The  howling  winds — the  drifting  snow  forming 
into  graceful  undulations,  slopes  and  curves,  and  mantling 
the  landscape  with  their  beauty — the  icy  gems  that 
attach  themselves  to  every  tree,  and  bush,  and  herb,  and 
sparkle  in  the  sunlight  like  precious  stones — these  do  not 
impress  the  soul  with  gloom,  but  with  a  never  wearied 
sense  of  the  grandeur,  the  goodness,  and  the  beauty  of 
all  God's  works  'and  ways. 

And  while  God  is  thus  careful  for  His  creatures,  He  is 
equally  careful  in  preserving  and  beautifying  the  earth 
for  their  enjoyment.  For  is  not  the  earth  itself  as  much 
the  object  of  His  goodness  and  divine  government,  as  the 
living  things  that  He  has  placed  upon  it?  There  are 


52  ONE   RELIGION:  MANY  CREEDS. 

laws  pertaining  to  its  affairs,  of  which  if  any  one  became 
inoperative,  the  destruction  of  all  animal  and  vegetable 
life  would  speedily  ensue.  Among  these  may  be  named 
evaporation  'and  condensation,  cohesive  attraction,  fric- 
tion, gravitation,  and  the  centrifugal  and  centripetal 
forces.  If  there  were  no  such  laws  as  evaporation  and 
condensation  at  work,  the  watery  vapor  that  floats  in  the 
atmosphere  would  not  be  liquified,  and  consequently  we 
should  have  no  rain  to  water  the  earth ;  it  would  become 
parched  for  want  of  moisture,  and  the  streams  and  rivers 
would  cease  to  flow.  If  the  effect  of  cohesion  and  fric- 
tion were  wanting,  the  particles  of  matter  of  which  the 
hills  and  mountains  are  composed  would  descend  into  the 
valleys,  and  under  the  same  law  by  which  the  waters  of 
the  rivers  now  flow  into  the  sea — the  whole  surface  of 
the  globe  would  assume  a  perfectly  spherical  shape,  be 
covered  with  water,  and  become  uninhabitable  for  men, 
beasts,  birds,  or  any  other  creatures  except  fishes  and 
sea  reptiles.  Without  the  law  of  gravitation,  the  whole 
material  of  our  globe  would  fly  asunder,  and  be  scattered 
in  space.  Without  centrifugal  force,  the  earth  would 
gravitate  to  the  sun  and  be  destroyed.  Without  centri- 
petal force,  or  gravity,  the  earth  would  leave  its  orbit, 
wander  from  the  planetary  system,  be  deprived  of  the 
heat  and  light  of  the  sun,  and  be  rendered  unfit  for  either 
animal  or  vegetable  life. 

The  next  great  point  to  be  considered  is  of  even  more 
importance  than  any  that  we  have  yet  touched  upon.  If 
the  study  of  Nature  in  all  its  varied  moods  and  manifes- 
tations, proves  that  God's  goodness  extends  in  this  world 
to  all  that  He  has  placed  within  it,  and  even  to  the  world 
itself  which  He  governs  and  sustains,  shall  not  the  divine 
goodness  be  extended  to  the  soul  of  man  through  all  eter- 


CHURCH  METHOD  OF  SALVATION.      53 

nity?'  God  may  be  continually  employed  in  creating 
new  worlds  and  new  systems ;  but  never,  if  the  foregoing 
arguments  be  sound,  can  He  be  employed  in  correcting 
such  mistakes  as  are  implied  in  the  Bible  history  of  the 
fall  of  man,  and  the  Church  doctrine  of  his  consequent 
damnation,  if  he  do  not  believe  the  incredible.  The  laws 
which  He  laid  down  at  the  beginning,  for  the  preserva- 
tion and  government  of  the  physical  universe,  must  be 
equally  beneficent,  wise  and  unchangeable,  when  applied 
to  our  spiritual  life,  not  alone  in  time,  but  in  eternity. 
Their  application  to  tangible  matter  may  be  more  appa- 
rent ;  but  the  spirit  feels  internal  evidence  that  God's 
goodness  and  care  are  ever  shielding  the  immortal  as  well 
as  the  mortal  part  of  man.  It  would  be  past  the  compre- 
hension of  the  wisest,  if  this  were  not  the  case,  and  incon- 
sistent with  God's  character,  as  exhibited  throughout  the 
universe,  so  far  as  man  has  been  enabled  to  study  it.  It 
would  be  irrational,  to  believe  that  God  did  not  take 
care  at  the  creation,  to  ordain,  establish,  and  put  in  opera- 
tion— to  be  transmitted  unimpaired  to  all  mankind — 
instincts,  intuitions,  inspirations,  and  whatever  properties 
may  be  essential  to  the  soul's  need  in  time  and  eternity, 
equal  at  least  to  His  care  in  provision  made  for  the  body ! 
None  will  deny  that  the  provision  pertaining  to  man's 
physical  nature  was  as  full  and  effectual  at  first,  as  now. 
Yet  those  who  uphold  the  doctrine  of  the  fall  of  man, 
and  that  of  Christ's  divinity  and  mission,  must  be  held 
to  say  that  God  omitted  at  the  beginning  to  make  pro- 
vision for  conducting  the  soul  of  man  through  time,  with 
sufficient  definiteness  to  answer  the  purposes  of  His  crea- 
tion ;  and  that,  upon  afterthought  suggested  and  necessi- 
tated by  man's  unexpected  perverseness,  He  had  to  make 
further  provision  to  meet  the  emergency. 


54  ONE  RELIGION:  MANY  CREEDS. 

This  idea  of  afterthought,  though  not  palpable  at  first 
view,  is  nevertheless  inseparable  from  church  teaching, 
and  no  sophistry  can  rescue  it  from  the  charge  of  being 
irreligious,  absurd,  and  inconsistent  with  God's  infinite 
perfections.  It  pre-supposes  that  all  mankind  who  lived 
and  died  before  the  advent  of  Jesus,  and  all  those  who 
have  not  heard  or  shall  not  hear  of  salvation  through  his 
crucifixion,  were  and  are  without  the  benefit  of  that  love 
which  it  is  claimed,  was  only  vouchsafed  to  man  through 
his  divinity.  According  to  such  a  doctrine  as  this,  if  a 
man  lives  a  life  of  purity  and  charity  and  benevolence — 
in  fine,  just  such  a  life  as  Jesus  recommended  in  his  early 
teachings — it  will  avail  him  nothing.  He  must  have  faith 
in  a  dogma  which  reason  cannot  understand,  and  which 
contradicts  the  idea  of  both  God's  wisdom  and  goodness. 
To  reconcile  this  belief  with  a  belief  in  God's  goodness, 
it  is  claimed  that,  for  those  who  have  never  heard  or 
never  will  hear  of  redemption  through  Christ,  God  has  a 
mode  of  salvation  which  the  church  fails  to  specify,  but 
which  answers  all  practical  purposes.  If  this  be  so,  it  is 
difficult  to  see  in  what,  as  regards  the  soul  of  man,  the 
benefit  of  the  new  mode  consists.  It  is  impossible,  as  we 
have  shewn,  for  man  not  to  have  faith  in  the  existence  of 
a  Supreme  Being,  who  is  infinite  in  wisdom,  infinite  in 
power,  and  infinite  in  goodness.  True  religion,  therefore, 
does  not  consist  in  dogmatic  beliefs  or  superstitious  theo- 
ries. It  consists  in  reverence  and  gratitude  to  the  Divine 
Being,  and  the  proper  discharge,  by  each  one  of  us,  of  his 
duty  to  himself,  his  fellow-man,  and  every  creature  with 
which  he  may  have  relations,  and  whose  condition  may 
be  improved  by  his  good  offices  and  kindness. 

This  leads  us  to   the  consideration  of  what  is  called 
moral  evil.     Of  physical   evil  there  is  in  reality  none. 


GOD'S  METHOD  OF  SALVATION.  55 

That  which  is  so  called — under  the  names  of  Labor, 
Pain,  and  Death — we  have  already  disposed  of.  God,  in 
the  creation  of  man,  did  not  expect  him  to  fulfill  all  his 
duties,  without  running  counter  to  many  of  the  irrevoca- 
ble and  unchangeable  laws  to  which  he  is  amenable.  This 
is  conclusively  proved  by  the  peculiar  constitution  of  man, 
which  must  have  been  his  condition  at  the  time  of  his 
creation.  He  is  gifted  with  such  capacities  as  would  have 
been  of  no  practical  use  to  him  unless  to  educate  and 
guard  him  against  violating  laws,  the  effect  of  which  he 
can  better  understand,  and  the  importance  of  conforming 
to  which  he  can  better  realize,  when  once  he  has  broken 
them.  This  relates  to  the  moral  and  spiritual,  as  well  as 
to  the  physical  nature  of  man.  Man's  body  suffers  pain, 
when  he  has  violated  the  laws  of  bodily  health ;  his  spirit 
is  degraded,  when  he  has  violated  those  which  pertain  to 
the  spirit ;  and,  if  the  violation  be  persisted  in,  the  pun- 
ishment will  be  repeated  accordingly.  These  pains  are 
sent  in  mercy  to  man,  for  the  purpose  of  bringing  him 
back  to  the  path  of  law  and  duty,  guiding  him  therein, 
and  admonishing  him  to  be  more  careful  in  future.  These 
means  of  educating  man,  and  of  making  God's  care,  justice, 
and  goodness  available  to  him  to  the  extent  of  his  needs — 
short-sighted  as  he  is — were  provided  for  at  his  creation. 
This  view,  we  are  aware,  is  in  all  respects  at  variance 
with  the  idea,  that  God  created  man  sufficiently  perfect  to 
keep  all  His  laws  unbroken,  or  that  God  expected  him  to 
do  so. 

The  existence  of  moral  evil  leads  mankind  the  better 
to  understand  and  to  practice  moral  good.  Men,  in  the 
aggregate,  do  vastly  more  good  than  evil ;  and  they 
whose  bad  actions  preponderate  largely,  or  even  moder- 
ately, over  their  good  ones,  are  comparatively  very  few. 


56  ONE  RELIGION  :  MANY  CREEDS 

Good  deeds  make  but  little  noise  in  the  world  ;  bad  ones 
a  great  deal.  The  life  of  a  considerable  majority  of  man- 
kind is  largely  made  up  of  the  practice  of  small  virtues. 
Even  so  little  a  thing  as  a  kind  word,  or  a  kind  look,  has 
soothed  the  aching  heart,  and  caused  the  eye  of  the  sor- 
rowing and  disconsolate  to  glisten  with  hope  and  happi- 
ness. These  may  seem  trifles,  when  viewed  separately  ; 
but  when  taken  in  the  mass,  they  form  a  monument  of 
praise,  just  as  mountains  raise  their  heads  to  Heaven, 
though  composed  of  individual  atoms  of  earth.  Con- 
spicuous virtues  are  no  more  acceptable  to  God  than 
humble  ones,  and  the  smallest  act  of  obedience  to  law,  is 
as  meritorious  as  the  greatest.  The  widow's  mite  is  as 
acceptable  as  the  rich  man's  offering,  and  has  its  equal 
reward.  Thankfulness  and  duty  are  the  only  roads  to 
happiness.  All  God's  blessings  and  good  gifts  were  pre- 
pared and  the  conditions  prescribed  on  which  they  were 
attainable,  from  the  first.  Man  should  be  thankful  for 
the  abundance  and  excellence  of  these  gifts ;  and  espe- 
cially thankful  that  they  are  not  capriciously  distributed, 
but  are  attainable  upon  the  principle  that  like  cause  pro- 
duces like  effect. 

And  although  those,  which  man  in  his  short-sighted- 
ness may  deem  the  most  precious  blessings,  do  not  fall 
profusely  on  every  individual,  yet,  if  we  take  men  collec- 
tively they  will  be  found  to  be  as  much  in  accordance 
with  their  welfare  as  is  consistent  with  their  future  des- 
tiny. Every  man,  whether  he  be  rich  or  poor — whatever 
his  joys,  whatever  his  sufferings — is  as  happy  as  is  well 
for  him  under  existing  circumstances.  What  may  seem 
to  be  a  man's  partial  loss  in  one  way,  may  be  more 
than  compensated  for  in  another  manner.  This  fact  is 
constantly  exemplified.  The  possessor  of  wealth  and 


PRAYER.  57 

indulger  in  luxury  sometimes  injures  his  health,  impairs 
his  faculty  for  sound  sleep,  and  disturbs  the  serenity  of 
his  mind,  by  over-indulgence  ;  while  a  poor  man,  who 
leads  an  active  life  and  avoids  excess,  is  rewarded  by  the 
priceless  blessing  of  health  of  body  and  mind,  which  all 
the  gold  in  the  world  could  not  purchase.  In  this,  God's 
goodness  and  justice  are  most  conspicuously  apparent. 

We  now  approach  the  apparently  difficult,  but  in  reality 
the  simple,  subject  of  prayer,  as  offered  by  individuals 
and  by  the  churches.  We  have  already  said  that  God's 
good  gifts  are  only  to  be  obtained  on  the  terms  prescribed 
at  the  creation — terms  which  are  never  modified  or  altered, 
to  suit  the  pleasure  or  supposed  necessity  of  any  one  indi- 
vidual or  of  all  mankind  combined.  Even  if  the  whole 
human  family  should,  at  the  same  instant,  pray  most 
devoutly  for  the  slightest  change  in  God's  original  ordi- 
nances or  purposes  toward  mankind,  none  could  take 
place.  The  rain  cannot  be  made  to  fall,  because  man 
prays  for  it.  The  pestilence  cannot  be  removed  by  sup- 
plication to  God ;  but  by  conformity  to  those  physical 
laws,  the  breach  of  which  produced  the  pestilence.  This 
view  is  admirably  illustrated  and  argued  out  by  Mr. 
Buckle  in  his  History  of  Civilization  in  England,  from 
which  we  make  a  long,  but  very  interesting  extract. 

"In  the  year  1853,  the  cholera,  after  having  committed 
serious  ravages  in  many  parts  of  Europe,  visited  Scotland. 
There,  it  was  sure  to  find  numerous  victims  among  a 
badly  fed,  badly  housed,  and  not  over-cleanly  people. 
For,  if  there  is  one  thing  better  established  than  another 
respecting  this  disease,  it  is  that  it  invariably  attacks, 
with  the  greatest  effect,  those  classes  who,  from  poverty 
or  from  sloth,  are  imperfectly  nourished,  neglect  their 


58  ONE  RELIGION :  MANY  CREEDS. 

persons,  and  live  in  dirty,  ill-drained,  or  ill-ventilated 
dwellings.  In  Scotland,  such  classes  are  very  numerous. 
In  Scotland,  therefore,  the  cholera  must  needs  be  very 
fatal.  *  *  *  *  Under  these  circumstances,  it  must  have 
been,  evident,  not  merely  to  men  of  science,  but  to  all 
men  of  plain,  sound  understanding,  who  would  apply 
their  minds  to  the  matter  without  prejudice,  that  the 
Scotch  had  only  one  way  of  successfully  grappling  with 
their  terrible  enemy,  It  behooved  them  to  feed  their  poor, 
to  cleanse  their  cesspools,  and  to  ventilate  their  houses. 
If  they  had  done  this,  and  done  it  quickly,  thousands  of 
lives  would  have  been  spared.  But  they  neglected  it, 
and  the  country  was  thrown  into  mourning.  Nay,  they 
not  only  neglected  it,  but,  moved  by  the  dire  superstition 
which  sits  like  an  incubus  upon  them,  they  adopted  a 
course  which,  if  it  had  been  carried  into  full  operation, 
would  have  aggravated  the  calamity  to  a  frightful  extent. 
It  is  well  known  that,  whenever  an  epidemic  is  raging, 
physical  exhaustion,  and  mental  depression  make  the 
human  frame  more  liable  to  it,  and  are  therefore  espe- 
cially to  be  guarded  against.  But,  though  this  is  a  mat- 
ter of  common  notoriety,  the  Scotch  clergy,  backed,  sad 
to  say,  by  the  general  voice  of  the  Scotch  people,  wished 
the  public  authorities  to  take  a  step  which  was  certain 
to  cause  physical  exhaustion,  and  to  encourage  mental 
depression.  In  the  name  of  religion,  whose  offices  they 
thus  abused  and  perverted  to  the  detriment  of  man, 
instead  of  employing  them  for  his  benefit,  they  insisted 
on  the  propriety  of  ordering  a  national  fast,  which  in  so 
superstitious  a  country  was  sure  to  be  rigidly  kept,  and, 
being  rigidly  kept,  was  equally  sure  to  enfeeble  thousands 
of  delicate  persons,  and  before  twenty-four  hours  were 
passed  prepare  them  to  receive  that  deadly  poison  which 


FASTING  INJURIOUS.  59 

was  already  lurking  around  them,  and  which  hitherto 
they  had  just  strength  enough  to  resist.  The  public  fast 
was  also  to  be  accompanied  by  a  public  humiliation,  in 
order  that  nothing  might  be  wanting  to  appeal  to  the 
inirid  and  fill  it  with  terror.  *  *  *  * 

"This  was  the  scheme  projected  by  the  Scotch  clergy; 
and  they  were  determined  to  put  it  into  execution.  To 
give  greater  effect  to  it,  they  called  upon  England  to  help 
them,  and,  in  the  autumn  of  1853,  the  Presbytery  of 
Edinburgh  caused  their  Moderator  to  address  a  letter, 
ostensibly  to  the  English  minister,  but  in  reality  to  the 
English  nation,  enquiring  whether  the  Queen  contem- 
plated appointing  a  national  fast-day. 

"  The  letter,  which,  through  the  medium  of  the  press, 
was  sure  to  become  well  known  and  to  be  widely  read, 
was  evidently  intended  to  act  on  public  opinion  in  Eng- 
land. It  was,  in  fact,  a  covert  reproach  on  the  English 
government  for  having  neglected  its  spiritual  duties,  and 
for  not  having  perceived  that  fasting  was  the  most 
effectual  way  of  stopping  an  epidemic.  In  Scotland 
generally,  it  received  great  praise,  and  was  regarded  as  a 
dignified  rebuke  addressed  to  the  irreligious  habits  of  the 
English  people,  who,  seeing  the  cholera  at  their  doors, 
merely  occupied  themselves  with  sanitary  measures,  arid 
carnal  devices  to  improve  the  public  health,  showing 
thereby  that  they  trusted  too  much  to  the  arms  of  the 
flesh.  In  England,  on  the  other  hand,  this  manifesto  of 
the  Scotch  Church  was  met  with  almost  universal  ridicule, 
and  indeed  found  no  favorers,  except  among  the  most 
ignorant  and  credulous  part  of  the  nation.  The  minister, 
to  whom  it  was  addresed,  was  Lord  Palmerston,  a  man  of 
vast  experience,  and  perhaps  better  acquainted  with  public 
opinion  thair  any  politician  of  hjs  time.  He,  being  well 


60  ONE  RELIGION:  MANY  CREEDS. 

aware  that  notions  which  the  Scotch  deemed  religious  the 
English  deemed  fanatical,  *  *  *  *  directed  a  letter  to  be 
sent  to  the  Presbytery  of  Edinburgh,  which,  unless  I  am 
greatly  mistaken,  will  in  future  ages  be  quoted  as  an 
interesting  document  for  illustrating  the  history  of  the 
progress  of  public  opinion.  A  century  ago,  any  states- 
man who  had  written  such  a  letter  would  h.ave  been 
driven  from  office  by  a  storm  of  general  indignation. 
Two  centuries  ago,  the  consequences  to  him  would  have 
been  still  more  disastrous,  and  would  indeed  have  ruined 
him  socially,  as  well  as  politically.  For,  in  it  he  sets  at 
defiance  those  superstitious  fancies  respecting  the  origin 
of  disease,  which  were  once  universally  cherished  as  an 
essential  part  of  every  religious  creed.  Traditions,  the 
memory  of  which  is  preserved  in  the  theological  literature 
of  all  Pagan  countries,  of  all  Catholic  countries,  and  of  all 
Protestant  countries,  are  quietly  put  aside,  as  if  they 
were  matters  of  no  moment,  and  as  if  it  were  not  worth 
while  to  discuss  them.  The  Scotch  clergy,  occupying  the 
old  ground  on  which  the  members  of  their  profession 
had  always  been  accustomed  to  stand,  took  for  granted 
that  the  cholera  was  the  result  of  divine  anger,  and 
was  intended  to  chastise  our  sins.  In  the  reply  which 
they  now  received  from  the  English  Government,  a  doc- 
trine was  enunciated,  which  to  Englishmen  seems  right 
enough,  but  which  to  Scotchmen  sounded  very  profane. 
The  Presbytery  were  informed,  that  the  affairs  of  this 
world  are  regulated  by  natural  laws,  on  the  observance 
or  neglect  of  which  the  weal  or  woe  of  mankind  depends. 
One  of  those  laws  connects  disease  with  the  exhala- 
tions of  bodies ;  and  it  is  by  virtue  of  this  law  that 
contagion  spreads,  either  in  crowded  cities,  or  in  places 
where  vegetable  decomposition  is  going  on.  Man,  by 


GOD'S  LAWS  ALL-SUFFICIENT.  61 

exerting  himself,  can  disperse  or  neutralize  these  noxious 
influences.  The  appearance  of  the  cholera  proves  that 
he  has  not  exerted  himself.  The  towns  have  not  been 
purified ;  hence  the  root  of  the  evil.  The  Home  Sec- 
retary, therefore,  advised  the  Presbytery  of  Edinburgh, 
that  it  was  better  to  cleanse  than  to  fast.  He  thought 
that  the  plague  being  upon  them,  activity  was  preferable 
to  humiliation.  It  was  now  autumn,  and  before  the  hot 
weather  would  return  a  considerable  period  must  elapse. 
That  period  should  be  employed  in  destroying  the  causes 
of  disease,  by  improving  the  abodes  of  the  poor.  If  this 
were  done,  all  would  go  well.  Otherwise,  pestilence 
would  be  sure  to  revisit  them  '  in  spite ' — I  quote  the 
words  of  the  English  minister — '  in  spite  of  all  the  prayers 
and  fastings  of  a  united,  but  inactive  nation.' 

"  This  correspondence  between  the  Scotch  clergy  and 
the  English  statesman  is  not  to  be  regarded  as  a  mere 
passing  episode,  of  light  or  temporary  interest.  On  the 
contrary,  it  represents  that  terrible  struggle  between  the- 
ology and  science,  which,  having  begun  in  the  persecu- 
tion of  science  and  in  the  martyrdom  of  scientific  men, 
has,  in  these  later  days,  taken  a  happier  turn,  and  is  now 
manifestly  destroying  that  old  theological  spirit  which  has 
brought  so  much  misery  and  ruin  upon  the  world." 

If  God  is  perfect  in  knowledge,  any  attempt  of  priest- 
craft to  dictate  to  Him,  by  means  of  prayer,  what  He 
should  do,  is  pitiable  ignorance  or  gross  blasphemy.  Jesus 
himself,  says,  "Your  Father  knoweth  what  things  ye 
have  need  of  before  ye  ask  Him."  God's  laws  are  all- 
sufficient  ;  and  man's  only  business  is  to  understand  and 
obey  them.  To  pray  publicly  or  privately,  may  soothe 
the  spirit  of  man,  and  raise  him  to  a  state  of  mental 
excitement  and  exaltation  ;  but  it  can  have  no  effect  on 


62  ONE  RELIGION:  MANY  CREEDS. 

God's  will.  It  may  be  asked  how  God's  goodness  is  to 
benefit  man,  if  he  is  to  be  subjected,  and  amenable  to 
inflexible  laws,  which  no  prayer  can  mitigate  or  turn 
aside.  The  answer  is  easy.  God  organized  and  incorpo- 
rated in  man's  system  or  nature,  from  the  first,  such 
qualities,  faculties,  and  functions,  as  were  necessary  to  fit 
him  for  being  the  medium  and  dispenser  of  God's  blessings 
to  himself  and  to  his  fellows.  God  placed  within  him  con- 
science— "the  voice  of  God" — the  innate  sense  of  right 
and  wrong.  He  gave  him  also  his  reason  and  reflective 
faculties,  together  with  instincts  and  intuitions,  all  of 
which  point  and  lead  to  a  belief  in  the  immortality  of  the 
soul.  All  these,  and  others  of  a  similar  character,  enable 
him  to  thread  his  way  among  the  unchangeable  and  eter- 
nal laws  of  God,  with  a  success  which  answers  God's  pur- 
pose in  relation  to  his  existence  here  and  hereafter,  and 
ought  to  secure  thankfulness  from  him  for  the  glorious 
bestowal  of  such  a  boon.  He  has  been  endowed,  too, 
with  such  faculties  as  enable  him,  if  he  will,  to  under- 
stand the  rationale  of  God's  laws,  whenever  he  studies 
them,  and  to  recognize  the  harmony  with  which  they  all 
co-operate  to  work  out  a  divine  purpose.  All  animate 
and  inanimate  beings  and  things,  it  would  seem,  are 
allowed  a  certain  free-will,  and  vacillate  between  two 
restraining  laws  which  keep  them  within  their  proper 
bounds.  The  planets  are  prevented  from  getting  too  near 
the  sun  by  centrifugal  force,  and  from  getting  too  far  from 
him  by  that  other  restraining  force  called  centripetal. 
These  laws  balance  each  other,  and  maintain  and  support 
the  equilibrium  of  the  universe. 

The  intellect  of  man  is  able  to  appreciate  the  utility  of 
this,  and  of  all  God's  laws.  Hence  it  is  clear  that  God 
has  so  constituted  man,  that,  to  a  certain  extent,  he  has 


NONE  DESTINED  TO  ENDLESS  MISERY.  63 

the  means  of  interpreting  aright  God's  ways  here  upon 
earth.  Thus  is  he  allowed  to  enter  into  fellowship  with 
his  divine  Maker,  and  enabled  to  argue  from  the  things 
of  time  to  those  of  eternity.  Let  him  do  this,  and  he 
will  find  abundant  reason  for  the  consolatory  belief  that 
not  one  human  creature  will  be  permitted  to  stray  so  far 
from  the  path  of  duty,  as  to  bring  upon  himself  utter  and 
endless  misery.  He  cannot  help  but  have  faith  that  God 
has  made  laws  to  restrain,  and  which  ever  will  restrain 
humanity,  as  the  planets  and  other  heavenly  bodies 
are  restrained  within  their  prescribed  bounds.  Thus 
instructed,  he  cannot  ignore  the  impressions  which  he  has 
received  from  the  unmistakable  manifestations  of  God's 
goodness  toward  him,  or  give  his  faith  to  a  pretended  rev- 
elation of  God's  character  that  consigns  him  to  everlasting 
torment  if  he  do  not  accept  a  faith  inconsistent  with 
itself.  Why  should  God  enable  man  to  see  and  feel  His 
goodness  in  this  world  of  time,  if  He  had  no  such  good- 
ness in  store  for  him  in  the  world  of  eternity?  In  this 
mortal  state  man  has  been  so  constituted,  and  his  agency 
or  control  over  his  own  acts  has  been  so  limited,  that  not- 
withstanding his  lack  of  sufficient  knowledge  to  enable 
him  to  conform  to  all  the  laws  to  which  he  is  amenable — 
he  is  not  permitted  to  depart  so  far  from  the  right  path, 
as  to  make  it  impossible  for  him  eventually  to  attain  the 
high  state  of  bliss  designed  for  him.  He  may  bring  upon 
himself  penalties  that  may  injure  or  kill  his  body  ;  but  he 
cannot  forfeit  his  soul  to  everlasting  misery.  God  has 
loved  man  too  well,  to  put  it  in  his  power  to  do  this ;  and 
too  well  not  to  put  it  in  his  power  to  work  out  for  him- 
self a  higher  degree  of  happiness  in  eternity  than  he  can 
in  this  world,  or  than  his  limited  faculties  can  conceive. 
All  this  may  be  fairly  deduced  from  God's  manifestations 


64  ONE  RELIGION:   MANY  CREEDS. 

of  goodness  throughout  all  Nature,  and  the  faith  He  has 
implanted  in  man's  reason,  conscience,  and  instinct,  that 
his  existence  shall  be — not  a  curse,  or  even  a  blank — but 
a  transcendent  blessing. 

God's  knowledge  in  relation  to  man  is  perfect.  Man's 
liability  to  err,  and  the  bounds  which  are  set  thereto,  and 
the  penalties  which  are  attached  to  each  breach  of  the 
law,  are  alike  of  God's  ordaining.  Who  then,  remember- 
ing these  things,  shall  doubt  that  God  has  so  adjusted  one 
to  the  other,  as  that  the  punishment  on  the  other  side  of 
the  grave  shall  be,  as  here,  for  man's  further  education, 
and  for  his  best  interests  and  happiness?  By  analogy 
this  should  be  so ;  and  it  is  fair  to  infer  that  it  is  so,  since 
the  same  God  that  has  tempered  and  adjusted  all  things, 
so  as  to  make  life  happy  here,  shall  be  equally  our  God — 
the  God  of  goodness  and  wisdom — throughout  all  eter- 
nity. 

The  human  soul  is  so  attuned  to  what  the  ancients 
called  "  the  music  of  the  spheres,"  that  all  Nature  draws 
it  to  the  contemplation  of  a  higher  existence.  Every 
living  and  every  inanimate  thing,  and  all  the  wondrous 
phenomena  of  the  visible  universe,  seem  to  whisper  to 
man  to  aspire  and  to  be  thankful.  The  moan  of  the  wind, 
the  blustering  of  the  storm,  the  falling  of  the  rain,  the 
flash  of  the  lightning,  the  rolling  of  the  thunder,  the 
lowing  of  the  herd,  the  hum  of  the  bee,  the  song  of  the 
bird,  the  fragrant  loveliness  of  the  flowers,  the  roar  of  the 
sea  upon  the  shore,  the  gloomy  grandeur  of  the  ocean,  the 
gurgling  of  the  stream,  the  sigh  of  the  forest  leaves  and 
branches,  the  sublimity  of  the  snow-covered  mountain- 
tops,  the  serene  beauty  of  the  morning  and  the  eveningf 
the  majesty  of  night,  the  harmony  of  truth,  the  trans- 
cendent bliss  when  two  souls  are  fused  into  one — when 


MORAL  EVIL.  65 

one  heart  beats  in  two  bosoms,  when  the  same  soul  is 
eloquent  in  mutual  eyes — love  to  children,  love  to  parents, 
the  kind  emotions  and  sympathies  of  the  human  family 
one  to  another,  and  to  other  living  things  these  multifari- 
ous joys  all  preach  the  immutable  truth,  that  God's 
beneficence  pervades  the  universe,  and  that  all  tends  to 
develop  man's  innate  belief  in  His  goodness,  and  prompts 
to  praise  and  worship  Him.  Praise  is  joy  ;  and  the  best 
worship  is  the  obedience  which,  in  its  turn,  produces  the 
happiness  of  the  worshipper.  This  is  man's  experience 
in  time  ;  and,  if  it  be  not  destined  to  be  his  experience 
throughout  eternity,  God's  goodness  would  be  finite,  which 
it  is  impossible  to  believe. 

It  has  been  urged  by  the  preachers  of  Christianity  and 
of  nearly  all  known  systems  of  theology  that,  however 
good  God  may  be,  He  permits  the  existence  of  evil ;  and 
that  man  may  prevail  upon  God  by  sacrifice  and  prayer, 
to  remove  or  lighten  its  load.  Most  modern  sects  have 
discarded  the  idea  of  sacrifices  for  this  purpose  ;  but  all 
insist,  not  only  upon  the  efficacy,  but  upon  the  absolute 
necessity  of  prayer.  These  phases  of  belief  originate  in 
erroneous  ideas  of  God's  goodness. 

Physical  evil  is  but  another  name  for  pain  ;  and  pain, 
as  has  already  been  shewn,  is  in  its  purpose  entirely 
benevolent — a  warning  that  we  have  transgressed  some 
law  imposed  upon  us  for  our  good.  Moral  evil  is,  in  like 
manner,  but  another  name  for  disobedience.  If  it  were 
impossible  for  man  to  disobey  any  physical  or  moral  law 
of  God,  he  would  be  deprived,  not  alone  of  free-will,  but 
of  the  capacity  for  improvement  and  of  mental  growth. 
He  would  be  unable  even  to  aspire  to  a  better  state  of 
existence,  or  to  qualify  himself  to  enter  it.  There  would 
be  no  propriety  in  his  being  placed  in  this  world  in  a 
5 


66  ONE  RELIGION :  MANY  CREEDS. 

state  of  probation.  There  can  be  no  probation,  where 
it  is  impossible  to  go  wrong.  It  is  sometimes  asked,  how 
the  injustice  so  often  committed  by  man  on  man  is  to  be 
reconciled  with  the  shield  which  God  has  thrown  around 
him,  and  all  the  inferior  animals,  for  self-protection  ?  The 
reply  is,  that  so  far  as  the  corporeal  part  of  man  is  con- 
cerned, and  so  far  as  intellectual  agencies  operate  in  this 
life,  the  protection  is  not  perfect,  else  man's  free  agency 
would  have  no  office.  The  protection  provided  is  efficient 
only  up  to  the  boundary  that  circumscribes  man's  free 
will.  Within  that  boundary  man  can  work  out  for  him- 
self a  higher  or  lower  degree  of  happiness,  according  as 
he  understands  and  conforms  to  God's  laws  ;  and  it  may 
be  that  the  trials  and  vexations  of  this  life  will  serve,  by 
contrast,  to  increase  the  joys  and  happiness  of  the  next. 
In  fact,  we  can  scarcely  conceive  what  enjoyment  would 
be,  if  we  had  no  idea  of  the  reverse.  .  As  regards  the 
liability  of  man  to  encroach  upon  the  rights  of  others,  it 
must  not  be  forgotten  that  God  has  given  him  various  quali- 
ties, propensities,  and  incentives  to  action,  in  order  that 
he  may  be  used  as  an  instrument,  within  certain  limits, 
for  carrying  out  God's  purposes.  These  are.  in  the  first 
place,  that  men  shall  contribute  to  the  happiness  and  wel- 
fare of  each  other  by  kind  offices  and  social  intercourse ; 
and  secondly,  that  every  individual  shall  secure  a  greater 
or  less  degree  of  happiness  in  this  life  and  the  life  to 
come,  according  as  he  deserves  more  or  less  by  his  obe- 
dience. Now,  while  each  individual  may,  in  the  exercise 
of  his  free-will,  perform  his  part  more  or  less  perfectly, 
yet  so  strong  in  the  right  direction  are  the  propensities 
established  within  him  as  motives  to  his  conduct,  that 
man,  by  the  exercise  of  his  free-will  within  its  prescribed 
limits,  accomplishes  God's  purpose  while  in  the  pursuit  of 


PRAYER  THE  EFFECT  OF  IGNORANCE.  67 

his  own  happiness.  This  accounts  for  some  of  man's  pro- 
pensities being  vastly  stronger  than  others.  Among  the 
things  which  man  has1  an  agency  in  performing,  and  which 
God  will  not  permit  to  fail,  are,  the  perpetuation  of  the 
race  of  men,  and  the  preparation  of  the  soul  of  each  man. 
for  the  enjoyment  of,  at  least  some  degree  of  happiness  in 
time,  'and  a  high  degree  of  happiness  in  eternity.  Hence 
God  has  given  man  unusually  strong  propensities  in  rela- 
tion to  these  two  great  duties  of  life.  These  press  with 
resistless  force  to  the  accomplishment  of  their  objects  ;  and 
it  sometimes  happens,  in  impetuous  natures,  that  they  over- 
step their  proper  boundaries  in  these  respects  and  run  riot. 
But  it  is  better  for  a  man  to  be  over-selfish,  than  to  fail 
in  the  indulgence  of  these  propensities  to  the  extent  of 
neglect  in  taking  due  care  of  his  life  and  happiness.  Thus 
the  minor  evil  is  consequent  upon  the  ample  means  taken 
to  ensure  the  greater  good. 

Man,  in  his  early  ignorance,  that  pain  was  not  of  itself 
an  evil,  bufra  necessary  part  of  the  divine  government  of 
the  universe,  was  induced  to  pray  to  the  Supreme  Being 
for  its  removal.  The  custom  still  prevails  ;  and  it  there- 
fore becomes  proper  to  enquire  how  it  is  that  men  should 
continue  to  ask  God  to  perform  miracles  or  acts  of  special 
providence  in  their  favor,  and  sometimes  on  very  frivolous 
pretexts.  Did  any  man  ever  have  proof  positive  that 
any  prayer  was  answered?  Events  sometimes  happen 
seemingly  at  the  instance  of  prayer ;  but  it  is  impossible 
to  be  assured,  beyond  the  possibility  of  mistake,  that  the 
event  in  question  would  not  have  taken  place,  entirely 
independent  of  any  prayer. 

In  the  infancy  of  the  race,  when  mental  and  material 
progress  was  naturally  slow,  the  first  idea  of  God,  the 
divine  Father,  was  based  upon  that  of  the  human  father, 


68  ONE  RELIGION:   MANY  CREEDS. 

who  tenderly  supplied  the  wants  of  the  child — even  before 
the  wants  were  made  known,  and  who  always  listened 
with  attention  to  the  supplications  of  his  offspring — when 
those  supplications  were  for  such  blessings,  benefits,  or 
necessities,  as  ought  to  be  supplied.  In  the  manhood  of 
the  individual,  these  supplications  cease;  and  each  person 
arriving  at  maturity  learns,  as  his  father  did  before  him, 
to  depend  upon  his  own  exertions,  in  conformity  with  the 
laws  of  Nature,  and  to  provide  himself,  and  those  depen- 
dent upon  him  with  food,  raiment,  and  shelter.  In  the 
manhood  of  the  race,  the  same  results  ensue — though 
they  are  not  acknowledged — and  man  practically  per- 
ceives, though  he  may  not  admit  the  fact  theoretically, 
that  prayer  to  God  for  the  supply  of  our  wants  is  wholly 
unnecessary,  inasmuch  as  God  has  provided  beforehand 
for  all  things  which  pertain  to  man's  happiness  and  enjoy- 
ment, with  a  profusion  and  variety  greater  than  most  of 
us  can  conceive.  Man  having  outgrown  his  moral  child- 
hood should,  therefore,  be  manly  and  mature  enough  in 
his  intellect,  to  understand  and  act  upon  the  knowledge, 
that  God's  favors  and  gifts  can  only  be  had  by  conform- 
ing to  the  conditions  prescribed  for  all  that  live. 

It  is  not  insisted  that  prayer  to  God,  to  raise  us 
miraculously  from  a  bed  of  sickness,  or  to  give  us  clearer 
views  of  His  will  and  pleasure  that  we  may  serve  Him 
the  better,  may  not  have  some  beneficial  effect  upon  the 
mind  of  him  who  prays,  though  the  act  be  irrational.*  In 
the  case  of  sickness,  if  the  means  of  recovery  by  Nature's 
appointed  mode  are  properly  applied,  an  unfounded  faith 
that  God  will  specially  interpose,  may  excite  a  livelier 
hope  of  recovery,  and  thus  indirectly  be  of  benefit  to  the 
sufferer,  for  the  reason  that  hope  is  half  the  cure,  and 
tranquillity  and  buoyancy  of  spirit  are  healthful  to  the 


PRAYER  FOR  RECOVERY.  69 

flesh.  On  the  other  hand  there  is  danger  that  faith  in 
prayer — as  if  that  were  the  only  panacea  and  specific — 
may  lead  to  the  systematic  neglect  of  the  true  means  of 
recovery.  The  man  who  asks  God  to  stimulate  him  to 
worship  and  obedience  by  supernatural  means,  or  who 
asks  Him  for  health,  or  wealth,  or  length  of  life,  or  any 
other  especial  grace  or  favor,  acts  in  effect  as  if  God  had 
been  unmindful  of  him,  and  had  not  provided  for  his 
needs;  and  thereby,  virtually,  accuses  his  Maker  of  igno- 
rance or  neglect.  It  may  be  said,  however,  in  defence  of 
this  man's  conduct,  that  his  prayer,  though  unanswered, 
is  not  without  spiritual  uses.  Were  a  man  in  a  floating 
boat  to  pull  at  a  rope  attached  to  the  shore,  having  all 
the  time  perfect  faith  that  he  is  pulling  the  shore  to  the 
boat,  instead  of  hauling  the  boat  to  the  shore,  it  would 
make  no  difference  with  him  which  was  the  result,  so  that 
the  boat  and  shore  came  together  at  last.  So,  while  a 
man  prays  God  to  come  to  him,  he  may  be  unwittingly 
drawing  himself  to  God,  through  God's  originally 
appointed  or  natural  means,  independent  of  prayer — 
while  he  imagines  that  God  is  coming  to  him  by  super- 
natural means,  that  is,  at  the  instance  of  prayer.  In 
this  way  man  may  conceive  himself  benefitted  by  the 
usual  mode  of  prayer,  and  thus  fail  to  recognize  the  true 
source  of  the  benefit.  But  it  is  important  to  the  highest 
worship  of  God,  that  man  should  have  full  faith  that  God 
originally  provided  for  whatever  is  needful  for  him,  so 
that  he  may  understand  that  if  he  fail  to  enjoy  these 
provisions  on  the  terms  primarily  prescribed  by  God,  it  is 
through  his  own  mistake  or  neglect,  and  not  God's — as 
man's  irrational  prayer  would  imply. 

Prayer  is  not  worship ;  and  the  only  worship  that  can 
be  acceptable  to  God  consists  in  obedience  to  His  divine 


70  ONE  RELIGION :  MANY  CREEDS. 

and  beneficial  laws,  and  in  thankfulness  and  gratitude  for 
the  gifts  so  lavishly  showered  upon  us. 

The  religion,  which  the  spiritual  necessities  of  mankind 
require,  finds  its  only  foundation  in  the  teachings  of  God 
to  all  men,  and  is  aptly  illustrated  in  the  precepts  and 
pure  teachings  of  Jesus — when  disencumbered  of  Judaism 
and  all  the  Mosaic  mythology — to  wit,  adoration  of  God, 
and  love  and  duty  to  man.  This  is  the  one  true  religion 
established  in  the  hearts,  consciences,  and  souls  of  all 
men  from  the  beginning,  which  ever  has  been,  and  ever 
will  be  sufficient  to  the  end,  that,  through  God's  wisdom, 
goodness  and  justice,  the  existence  of  each  member  of  the 
human  family  shall  result  in  the  glorification  of  the 
Creator,  and  the  happiness  of  His  creatures — be  the 
path  travelled  ever  so  tortuous  or  rough. 

By  the  persistency  with  which  Christian  teachers  of 
all  denominations  and  sects — from  the  Pope  down  to  the 
elected  minister  of  the  poorest  chapel  or  meeting-house — 
continue  to  dwell  on  the  allegory  of  the  fall  of  Man,  and 
the  consequent  supposed  necessity  of  Christ's  sacrifice,  all 
people  of  emancipated  intellect  are  driven  from  the 
churches  in  despair  and  weariness  of  spirit.  The  multi- 
tude, like  those  who  followed  Jesus  to  the  mountain, 
hunger  for  the  bread  of  life,  and  are  presented  with  a 
theological  stone,  in  which  there  is  no  mental  or  spiritual 
nutriment.  God,  according  to  the  teachings  of  Moses,  is 
a  God  of  anger  and  to  be  feared,  who  could  not  be  propi- 
tiated but  with  sacrifices  and  burnt  offerings.  God, 
according  to  His  own  teachings,  is  a  God  of  perfect  good- 
ness, who  requires  no  sacrifice  from  His  creatures; 
nothing  but  faith  and  cheerful  obedience  to  the  benevo- 

O 

lent  laws  which  He  instituted  for  their*  spiritual  and 
physical  happiness.  The  God  of  Moses  did  not  know, 


THE  GOD  OF  MOSES.  71 

and  could  not  foresee,  anything  that  was  to  happen  in 
His  own  creation.  The  God  of  all,  is  all-wise ;  and  to 
His  omniscience  nothing  is  hidden,  in  the  past,  the 
present,  or  the  future.  To  reconcile  these  two  systems, 
or  to  engraft  one  upon  the  other,  as  all  the  Christian 
churches  have  attempted  to  do,  for  more  than  eighteen 
centuries,  is  impossible.  They  are  antagonistic,  discor- 
dant, and  irreconcilable.  If  one  be  true,  the  other  must 
be  false.  If  a  theory  supposed  to  be  true  at  one  time, 
ceased  to  be  true  at  another,  it  can  never  have  been  true 
at  all ;  for  God's  truths  are  eternal  as  Himself.  The 
doctrine  taught  by  God  from  the  beginning,  and  which 
is  ever  being  echoed  and  re-echoed  in  the  souls  of  all 
men — that  He  is  infinite  in  goodness  as  in  all  things,  and 
that  man's  highest  duty  is  to  cultivate  the  sublime  germ, 
of  love  to  God  and  man  within  himself,  so  that  its  legiti- 
mate fruits  may  be  produced  by  contributing,  as  far  as 
it  is  consistent  with  his  duty  to  himself,  to  the  happiness, 
and  well-being  of  all  God's  creatures — this  doctrine, 
this  religion,  this  teaching,  needs  no  support  from  Moses 
or  his  theology.  It  is  the  only  known  religion  that  may 
be  safely  stripped  of  all  externals,  and  left  in  its  beau- 
tiful simplicity,  to  appeal  to  the  heart  and  intellect  of  the 
humblest,  as  well  as  of  the  most  exalted  of  mankind. 
The  mischief  is  that  this  religion  has  been  adulterated 
with  falsehoods,  which,  under  the  disguise  of  vital  truths, 
have,  as  Jesus  said,  not  brought  peace  into  the  world, 
but  continual  strife,  and  the  sword,  and  theological  dis- 
sensions ;  and  probably  these  dissensions  will  never  cease 
until  religion  is  thoroughly  purged  of  all  false  theology. 
All  the  Christian  churches,  following  Moses  and  the 
Old  Testament,  in  one  breath  declare  God  to  be  a  God  of 
Love — to  wnich  all  His  works  bear  witness — and  in  the 


72  ONE  RELIGION:  MANY  CREEDS. 

next  that  He  is  wrathful,  revengeful,  and  cruel  ;  that  He 
is  a  God  who  has  determined  to  inflict,  everlastingly,  the 
most  horrible  torture  on  every  individual  of  the  human 
race,  who  shall  in  the  course  of  his  life  commit  a  single 
sin,  or  fail  to  observe  the  least  of  His  laws.  Further 
than  this,  they  declare  that  the  human  race  merits  this 
punishment,  even  though  personally,  they  commit  no  sin, 
because  Adam,  the  first  man,  sinned  ;  and  that  God's 
love  is  shewn  by  His  permitting  Jesus — himself  God — to 
atone  for  Adam's  transgression,  though  the  benefits  of 
this  atonement  are  not  to  be  extended  to  any  one  who 
does  not  have  entire  faith  in  its  efficacy.  This  doctrine 
is  so  utterly  at  variance  with  the  never-ceasing  logic  of 
Nature,  and  with  the  constant  manifestations  of  God's 
goodness  and  justice,  that  to  escape  the  dilemma,  they 
who  teach  it,  are  led  to  resort  to  various  subterfuges  to 
make  the  faith  acceptable  to  those  on  whom  they  would 
impose  it.  Out  of  these  falsehoods  and  contradictions 
have  grown  the  never-ending  disagreements,  disputes, 
and  contentions  of  religious  sects  and  their  spiritual 
instructors — "  blind  leaders  of  the  blind."  It  was  these 
very  contradictions  and  dissensions  that  brought  about, 
not  only,  the  crucifixion  of  Jesus,  but  all  the  wars  that 
have  been  waged  in  the  world  for  opinion's  sake  in  rela- 
tion to  theological  matters,  since  the  days  of  Moses  and 
the  Prophets.  Jesus  said  that  he  came  not  to  send  peace, 
but  a  sword.  And  it  has  been  calculated  that  the  wars 
which  have  been  waged  on  account  of  the  differences  of 
opinion  in  or  on  doctrinal  points  have  cost  the  lives  of 
above  two  millions  of  people.  Those  engaged  in,  to 
establish  Christianity,  and  those  persevered  in,  against 
the  Turks  concerning  the  Holy  Land,  havet  cost  many 
millions  more.  The  wars  of  Charlemagne  to  christianize 


PRIESTCRAFT.  73 

the  Saxons,  and  of  the  Spaniards  to  convert  the  Moors 
and  Americans,  have  deluged  the  earth  with  innocent 
blood.  And  the  Inquisition  alone,  since  its  foundation  in 
the  fourteenth  century,  has  burnt  above  one  hundred 
thousand  persons  of  both  sexes,  besides  destroying  twice 
that  number  by  torture  and  the  dungeon.  To  this  point 
we  shall  have  occasion  to  refer  hereafter. 

It  may  be  asked,  whether  what  the  Christian  churches 
preach  and  claim  to  be  indispensable  to  man's  salvation 
is  altogether  wrong.  This  is  not  asserted.  No  teaching 
addressed,  to  man's  religious  nature  can  be  entirely  in 
error,  which  obtains  such  an  ascendency  over  the  minds  of 
men.  It  has  much  truth,  but  a  great  deal  of  error;  and 
what  it  has  of  truth  is  mixed  up  with  error,  in  such  a  way 
as  to  render  it  extremely  difficult  for  the  mass  of  man- 
kind to  separate  the  one  from  the  other.  Priestcraft  is 
fully  aware  of  the  value  of  theological  fable,  as  a  means 
of  strengthening  and  consolidating  its  power  over  human 
affairs;  and,  lest  the  simple  truths  of  Nature  which  all 
may  study,  should  have  their  legitimate  effect  in  assign- 
ing to  the  every-day  duties  of  life  their  legitimate  import- 
ance in  making  up  the  sum  of  man's  religious  duty,  the 
Christian  churches  all  insist  that,  if  man's  thankfulness  to 
the  one  God  be  ever  so  great,  and  all  the  duties  of  life  be 
ever  so  well  performed,  yet  if  faith  in  the  necessity  and 
efficacy  of  Christ's  atonement  for  sin  be  lacking,  he  must 
suffer  everlasting  torment  in  hell-fire.  Each  sect  claims 
to  be  the  exclusive  exponent  of  the  means  appointed  by 
God  to  enable  man  to  escape  from  this  torment.  Out  of, 
and  by  means  of  this  vast  fraud  and  shameless  inroad 
upon  men's  credulity,  priests  and  governments  that  sup- 
port them  have  filched  from  the  toiling  people  millions  of 


74          ONE  RELIGION :  MANY  CREEDS. 

treasure,  to  support  them  in  the  exercise  of  their  trade  or 
profession.  , 

The  idea  of  Hell,  hell-fire,  and  eternal  torment,  when 
properly  considered,  is  an  idea  that  is  alike  blasphemous 
and  illogical.  Not  so  with  the  idea  of  eternal  progress 
toward  infinite  knowledge  and  happiness,  which  is  a 
natural  deduction  from  our  earthly  experience. 

It  is  manifest  from  the  nature  of  man,  that  if  he  could, 
in  advance,  read  the  future  with  certainty,  it  would  unfit 
him  for  the  affairs  of  this  life  and,  by  inference,  for  the 
part  assigned  him  in  the  next.  It  is  illogical  to  insist 
that  God,  in  giving  man  his  various  faculties,  did  not 
intend  that  he  should  use  those  faculties  to  the  best 
advantage,  in  all  things  pertaining  to  his  duty,  his  happi- 
ness, and  his  welfare,  both  in  relation  to  this  life  and  the 
life  to  come.  It  is  insisted,  however,  by  the  priesthood, 
that  man  must  ignore  his  common  sense  and  reasoning 
faculties,  when  he  comes  to  deal  with  the  affairs  of  the 
future  life.  The  maintenance  of  this  requirement  can 
only  be  accounted  for  upon  the  idea,  that  the  churches 
well  know  that,  if  man  were  to  use  all  his  faculties  for  the 
acquisition  of  knowledge  and  the  ascertainment  of  truth 
in  relation  to  his  duty  to  his  Maker,  the  hold  which  they 
have  on  the  purses  of  the  people  would  be  weakened,  or 
perhaps  entirely  lost.  The  only  religion  which  has  exer- 
cised its  influence  over  the  minds  and  conduct  of  men, 
from  first  to  last — whether  recognized  or  not — is  that 
here  advocated;  and  it  will  continue  to  exercise  that 
influence,  notwithstanding  all  the  false  teachings  and 
adverse  influences  that  have  been,  or  may  be  brought  to 
bear  against  it. 

A  ship  is  swept  along  by  the  Gulf  Stream,  on  the  way 
to  its  destination,  although  those  on  board  may  not  be 


INFLUENCE  OF  THE  TRUE  RELIGION.  75 

aware  of  the  causes  that  are  impelling  it  onward.  They 
might  indeed,  from  a  want  of  knowledge  on  the  subject, 
ascribe  their  onward  course  towards  the  wished-for  haven 
to  a  cause  totally  different  from  the  true  one — even  to  a 
cause  that  was  in  reality  retarding  them,  as  theology 
retards  religion.  And  more  especially  might  this  be  the 
case  with  a  portion  of  the  voyagers,  if  there  were  others 
on  board  who  from  selfish  motives  were  using  means  to 
deceive  their  fellow  travellers  as  to  the  true  source  of 
their  progress.  In  the  same  way,  are  not  mankind  car- 
ried onward  by  the  vast  stream  of  influences  set  in 
motion  by  God,  from  the  first,  upon  which  all  the  human 
family  have  been  or  will  be  embarked  ?  This  tide,  bear- 
ing man  to  the  final  home  which  God  has  prepared  for 
him,  no  human  power  can  stay.  Man  may,  from  short- 
sightedness, or  false  teaching,  or  both,  be  unmindful,  or 
even  unconscious  of  the  true  channel  through  which  God's 
blessings  are  continually  conferred  upon  him ;  yet  they 
flow  on  incessantly.  God  makes  ample  allowance  for 
man's  want  of  knowledge,  and  is  patient  and  forbearing, 
ever  educating  him  to  broader  truths,  and  leading  him  to 
a  higher  state.  He  has  made  sure  too,  that  under  the 
influence  of  Nature's  teachings  he  will  at  last  come 
within  the  fold  prepared  for  him,  and  be  enabled  to 
appreciate  aright  the  justice  and  wisdom  of  his  great 
Benefactor.  And  He  has  further  made  sure  that  the  true 
light,  deep  down  in  man's  soul,  and  the  faith  and  hope 
based  upon  the  idea  of  one  God,  the  Great  First  Cause  of 
all,,  shall  never  be  extinguished.  Not  all  the  false  teach- 
ings or  injurious  influences  of  human  power  that  were 
ever  put  in  motion  shall  disturb  this  firm  foundation.  It 
is  a  germ  of  truth  in  the  soul  of  man,  which  will  most 
surely  bring  forth  its  legitimate  fruits  in  God's  own  good 


76  ONE  RELIGION:   MANY  CREEDS. 

time.  It  is  nurtured  and  watered  by  Him,  and  it  will 
enable  man  more  and  more  to  understand  and  appreciate 
His  goodness,  and  advance  nearer  and  nearer  toward  His 
perfections.  The  germ,  in  the  seed  of  the  fig  tree,  the 
vine,  and  every  other  plant  and  herb,  is  especially  cared 
for  by  God,  to  the  end  that  its  vitality  shall  be  preserved. 
In  process  of  time,  under  the  influences  with  which  God 
has  surrounded  it,  it  is  quickened  and  springs  up  into  life. 
It  is  fostered  and  cherished  by  God,  through  Nature,  and 
it  flourishes  and  seemingly  rejoices  in  the  sunlight  and 
the  balmy  air,  ever  pushing  forward  with  increasing 
energy  to  the  fulfilment  of  its  destined  office  in  the  world. 
No  human  power  can  thwart  God's  purpose  in  this.  He 
has  willed — and  His  will  is  law — that  the  earth  shall 
bring  forth  trees,  shrubs,  herbs,  plants,  flowers,  and  fruit, 
in  order  that  this  Eden  in  which  He  has  placed  man, 
may  be  filled  with  beauty  for  his  sight  and  with  abun- 
dance for  his  taste.  But  in  this,  as  in  other  things,  His 
bounty  comes  not  single-handed.  Through  the  same  pro- 
cess by  which  He  administers  to  man's  sense  of  the  sub- 
lime and  beautiful,  He  supplies  the  physical  necessities  of 
all  His  creatures.  Now,  if  He  has  so  protected  the  germ 
in  the  mustard  seed,  and  trained  it  with  certainty  to  fulfil 
His  design,  shall  He  do  less  for  man  ?  Yet,  according  to 
the  teaching  of  the  Churches,  we  are  asked  to  believe 
that — of  all  the  things  created  by  God — man  was  left  in 
the  most  precarious  condition,  placed  in  the  greatest  jeop- 
ardy, least  likely  to  fulfil  the  intentions  of  his  Maker, 
and  condemned,  for  no  fault  of  his  own.  to  be  eternally 
punished  with  torments  too  horrible  to  comprehend. 
How  utterly  inconsistent,  and  at  variance  with  all  the 
dispensations  of  God's  providence,  which  man  meets  at 
every  turn  in  his  life  and  experience,  is  this  idea !  God's 


GOD'S  CARE  FOR  MAN.  77 

goodness  and  tender  care  of  man  are  manifest  in  thou- 
sands of  ways ;  and  the  mildness  of  the  punishment  for 
a  breach  of  His  laws,  and  the  evidently  benign  intention 
of  such  punishment,  declare  most  emphatically  that  God, 
represented  in  any  other  light  than  as  infinite  goodness, 
is  not  the  God  who  reveals  Himself  to  the  heart,  the  con- 
science, and  the  intellect  of  all  men,  at  all  times. 

So  far  as  man's  career  is  traced — which  is  no  further 
than  the  grave — no  discoverable  advantage  accrues  to 
those  who  assent  to  the  doctrine  of  the  fall  of  man  through 
Adam,  and  his  restoration  through  Christ ;  and  no  discov- 
erable disadvantage  befalls  those  who  have  not  arrived  at 
such  a  belief.  Those  who  belong  to  the  latter  class,  and 
who  make  up  the  great  majority  or  more  than  three- 
fourths  of  the  human  race,  are  as  good  citizens,  as  good 
husbands,  as  good  wives,  as  good  parents,  as  good  chil- 
dren, as  good  neighbors,  and  are  equally  as  cheerful, 
equally  as  happy,  and  equally  as  honest  as  the  small 
remnant  who  believe,  or  who  pretend  to  believe,  in  the 
fall  of  man  through  Adam.  The  Christian  proclaims 
that  all  who  do  not  embrace  the  dogmas,  on  which  the 
Churches  are  built,  are  under  the  condemnation  of  God, 
and  are  not  allowed  to  participate  in  the  benefits  of  His 
goodness,  in  the  world  to  come.  Now,  since  there  is  no 
apparent  difference  in  the  distribution  of  such  benefits  in 
this  world,  it  is  fair  to  infer  there  is  none  in  the  other. 
But  since  we  cannot  trace  man  thither,  except  by  logical 
induction,  which  is  not  subject  to  positive  confirmation, 
the  Churches  make  the  most  of  man's  ignorance  in  this 
respect — an  ignorance  no  greater  than  their  own — and 
promise  him  transcendent  benefits  in  eternity  as  the 
reward  of  his  faith,  and  for  his  support  of  the  Churches. 


78  ONE  RELIGION:  MANY  CREEDS. 

Man,  by  nature  and  for  wise  purposes,  has  a  predisposi- 
tion to  credulity.  He  loves  the  marvellous  and  the  mys- 
terious. From  this  phase  of  his  character  proceeds  the 
wonderful  influence  which  the  false  doctrine  of  super- 
natural revelation  has  so  long  maintained  over  the  human 
mind,  through  the  incomprehensible  mysteries  contained 
in  the  Bible,  based  upon  prophecy  and  miracles.  The  less 
man's  reasoning  faculties  are  developed,  the  greater  is  the 
attraction  which  the  marvellous  and  miraculous  have  for 
him ;  and  the  readier  is  the  credence  he  gives  to  them. 
Hence  it  is  the  least  enlightened  of  our  race,  both  in  this 
and  every  other  age  of  the  world,  who  are  the  most  liable 
to  be  led  astray  by  tales  of  sorcery,  witchcraft,  and  ghosts. 
And  have  not  witchcraft  and  supernatural  appearances  of 
departed  spirits  as  great  a  claim  on  our  credulity,  as  the 
miracles  of  the  Bible  ?  The  existing  generation  of  men 
has  advanced  toward  mental  manhood,  so  far  as  to  discard 
many  of  the  superstitious-  fictions  of  the  incipient  stage 
of  the  human  race ;  and  would  emancipate  itself  still 
more  rapidly  and  completely  than  it  is  doing,  but  for  the 
struggle  made  against  it  by  the  Churches.  And  they  are 
now  the  only  obstacle  to  man's  entire  deliverance  from 
such  a  thraldom.  Seeing,  however,  how  much  their  influ- 
ence, and  their  gain  are  endangered  by  the  spread  of 
learning  and  intelligence,  they  are  the  more  tenacious 
and  persistent  in  their  efforts  to  uphold,  and  to  root  more 
deeply  still  into  the  minds  of  the  people,  a  superstitious 
belief  in  the  mysteries  of  the  Bible.  But  this  once  mighty 
influence  is  on  the  wane.  The  light  of  irrefutable  truth 
has  dawned  upon  the  mental  vision  of  all  the  civilized 
nations  upon  earth  ;  and  the  darkness  of  theological  error 
will  soon  be  forever  dispersed.  Let  the  Churches,  if 
they  be  wise,  look  to  this  matter  in  time.  The  true 


MAN'S  INTELLECT  EXPANDING.  79 

and  lasting  interest  of  the  clergy  lies  in  conforming  with- 
out delay  to  the  imperative  intellectual  demands  of  the 
age.  Unadulterated  truth  must  be  taught  from  the 
pulpit — if  anything  at  all.  The  people  will  not,  much 
longer,  continue  to  listen  to  doctrines  and  dogmas,  for  the 
belief  of  which  there  exists  in  man  not  one  single  innate 
faculty  commending  them  either  to  the  judgment  or  to  the 
heart ;  but  which,  on  the  contrary,  cause  his  whole  nature 
to  revolt. 

The  Churches  tell  us  that  man  cannot  answer  the  just 
demands  of  God,  and  that,  therefore,  by  necessity,  he 
merits  God's  everlasting  condemnation,  and  his  own  utter 
destruction  ;  but  the  heart  of  man  rejects  the  blasphemy, 
and  realizes  that  God  knows  exactly  how  much  and  what 
allowances  to  make  in  behalf  of  man's  short-sightedness. 
Man  is  so  far  inferior  to  his  Maker,  that  He  will  make 
every  allowance  in  calling  man  to  account  for  his  mis- 
deeds. Indeed,  God's  justice  demands  that  man's  free 
agency,  to  which  He  Himself  has  set  limits,  should  not 
be  so  far  extended  as  that  man's  existence  could  possibly 
become  a  curse  to  him,  or  anything  else  than  a  blessing, 
either  in  time  or  in  eternity.  His  manifest  goodness  in 
this  world,  to  us  and  to  all  the  various  forms  of  animated 
life,  is  so  self-evident,  that  all  who  honestly  investigate 
the  blessings  and  beauties  of  Nature,  and  correctly  reason 
upon  them,  must  be  convinced  of  it.  As  we  mount  from 
Nature  up  to  Nature's  God,  we  find  not  only  that  "  what- 
ever is,  is  right,"  and  must  be  right,  but  that  whatever  is, 
is  good,  and  must  be  good.  Were  it  not  for  that  which 
we  ignorantly  designate  as  evil,  good  would  not  be  known 
to  us,  and  would  not  be  properly  appreciated.  So  far  as 
we  are  imperfect  beings,  we  are  sure  to  make  mistakes 
and  to  suffer  for  them ;  but  the  very  correction  must  be 


80  ONE  RELIGION:  MANY  CREEDS. 

seen  to  be  beneficial  to  us ;  because  it  teaches  us  not  to 
offend  against  God's  laws  again  ;  and  in  this  way  the 
seeming  evil  is  made  instrumental  in  the  training  of  man 
to  his  best  estate.  The  same  kindness,  therefore,  which 
is  so  eminently  bestowed  upon  man  in  this  world,  will,  we 
infer,  be  continued  to  him  in  the  next.  This  we  are 
bound  to  believe,  because  we  know  that  God's  goodness, 
like  himself  is  infinite,  and  cannot  fail  or  be  withdrawn 
from  any  of  His  creatures — unless  we  admit  God  to  be  of 
changeable  purposes,  which  we  cannot  do  without  denying 
His  wisdom  and  perfection. 

The  most  obvious  and  natural  idea  of  the  happiness 
reserved  for  man  in  eternity  is,  that  it  shall  be  a  con- 
tinuation and  an  augmentation  of  the  purest  and  most 
ennobling  joys  which  he  has  experienced  in  time;  that 
his  soul,  perpetually  thirsting  for  truth  and  knowledge, 
shall  be  permitted  to  see  and  understand  those  great 
mysteries  of  God,  which  have  been  partially  concealed 
from  him  on  earth  ;  and  that  he  shall  forever  approach 
nearer  and  nearer  to  the  divine  perfections,  to  which 
however  he  can  never  wholly  attain  ;  and  that  every  step 
of  his  infinite  progression  shall  be  attended  with  loftier 
delights  than  the  constitution  of  his  physical  frame  could 
ever  have  permitted  him  to  enjoy  while  on  earth.  God 
hath  endowed  man  with  various  qualities  and  capacities, 
adapted  to  his  present  life  ;  and  made  each  a  ministering 
angel  to  his  happiness.  Is  not  this  an  evidence  that  He 
will  endow  him  in  the  future  life  with  higher  qualities 
and  more  enlarged  capacities  to  comprehend,  appreciate, 
and  enjoy  God's  wisdom,  goodness  and  glory,  in  an  ever- 
advancing  degree?  The  spirit  of  all  men  seems  so  to 
whisper ;  and  God  has  given  them  faith,  that  the  high 
poetic  reveries  of  the  soul  shall  not  be  disappointed. 


ETERNAL  HAPPINESS.  81 

These  are  things  which  God,  indeed,  has  not  permitted  us 
to  know ;  but  on  the  other  hand  He  has  not  permitted  us 
to  be  without  a  lively  hope  that  we  shall  at  some  time 
enjoy  them.  There  is  no  complete,  positive,  or  mathe- 
matical proof,  that  what  we  call  the  soul  is  immortal. 
All  that  we  can  learn  about  it  comes  through  our  intui- 
tions, our  instincts,  and  an  innate  consciousness  of  it,  cor- 
roborated by  the  belief  of  all  men,  in  all  ages  and  in 
all  countries,  that  a  glorious  eternity  of  some  sort  lies 
before  us.  If  this  be  not  the  fact,  as  we  fondly  deem, 
then  God  has  given  to  every  human  being  a  delusive 
faith  in  His  kindness  ;  an  abiding  trust  in  His  goodness, 
never  to  be  realized.  This  is  inconceivable  ;  it  is  at  total 
variance  with  God's  benign  dispensations  on  our  behalf 
here ;  and  with  the  indubitable  fact  that  it  is  impossible 
to  destroy  the  smallest  atom  of  matter  that  was  ever 
created.  Matter  may  be  changed  and  transformed,  but 
it  cannot  be  annihilated ;  and  if  this  eternity  is  the 
appanage  of  the  physical  substances  and  elements  of 
which  the  universe  is  composed,  shall  it  not  also  be  the 
appanage  of  the  soul?  We  cannot  believe  otherwise. 
We  accept  the  proofs  with  as  much  faith  and  as  thorough 
a  conviction  as  we  have  in  accepting  proofs  of  mathe- 
matical science,  though  they  are  not  based  so  entirely 
upon  mere  reason,  as  upon  something  which  we  feel  to  be 
superior  to  reason,  and  a  more  direct  utterance  of  the 
voice  of  God.  This  cannot  be  a  vain  imagining.  The 
unwritten  poetry — that  whispers  to  us  of  a  life  beyond 
the  grave,  pervades  all  Nature,  and  even  comes  to  us 
more  audibly  from  the  starry  universe  than  from  the 
earth — proclaims  that  Time,  which  is  but  the  turning 
of  the  small  globe  upon  which  we  live,  is  not  the 
measure  of  that  far-seeing  soul  and  that  ample  intellect 
6 


82  ONE  RELIGION:   MANY  CREEDS. 

which,  though  imprisoned  for  a  while  within  the  flesh, 
has  so  far  transcended  its  carnal  limits  as  to  discover 
stars  and  whole  systems  so  deep  in  the  infinitudes  of 
space,  that  the  light  projected  by  them,  according  to  sci- 
entific calculation,  takes  a  time  almost  beyond  man's 
comprehension  to  travel  from  their  place  in  creation  to 
ours.  Such  facts  and  such  discoveries  teach  us  that  the 
soul,  which  aspires  so  high,  is  justified  in  aspiring;  that 
it  came  from  Godt  and  must  approach  nearer  to  him  for 
ever.  The  line  of  that  eternal  progression  is  influenced, 
in  some  degree,  by  the  operation  of  causes  within  man's 
own  control. 

Let  those  learned  men,  who  are  the  chief  dignitaries  of 
the  churches,  look  to  the  intellectual  development  of  our 
times.  They  should  be  the  allies,  an$  not  the  foes,  of 
human  intellect.  To  them  all  the  truths  of  science  should 
be  welcome,  because  they  are  divine.  That  true  religion, 
which  exists  in  the  heart  as  well  as  in  the  soul,  needs  no 
fables  to  recommend  it  to  our  acceptance.  The  so-called 
sacred  Books,  to  which  they  still  call  upon  us  to  yield  a 
slavish  faith,  should  be  acknowledged  by  them  to  be 
•without  that  sanctity  which  cannot  attach  to  them,  if 
they  be  contradicted  by  Geology  and  by  Astronomy,  and 
~by  every  new  discovery  of  natural  and  physical  truths. 
The  stars  alone  are  a  perpetual  reproof  to  the  ignorant 
mythologies,  with  which  the  clergy  still  endeavor  to  mis- 
lead the  people.  Newton,  Laplace,  Leverrier,  and  Rosse, 
were  greater  teachers  of  religion  than  any  Pope  or  Bishop, 
or  other  ecclesiastic,  who  ever  lived  or  preached.  If, 
instead  of  theological  and  doctrinal  discourses  founded 
upon  historical  errors  and  false  ideas  of  God,  the  preachers 
and  teachers,  accepting  the  great  truths  of  science,  would 
preach  God  in  all  His  works  and  religion  in  its  purity, 


THE  CLERGY  SHALL  ACCEPT  TRUTH.  83 

conformably  to  the  intelligence  of  the  age — let  the  imme- 
diate consequences  be  what  they  might — their  efforts 
would  prove  beneficial  in  the  highest  degree.  Jesus  so 
taught  religion  in  the  two  commandments ;  for  which 
teaching  he  was  crucified.  God  is  ever  teaching  it  in  its 
fullness.  The  time  is  ripening  for  this  development. 
Uneasiness  and  doubt  sit  within  the  assemblies  of  all 
mythological  worshippers.  It  is  not  only  the  sheep,  but 
the  shepherds,  who  see  the  approaching  change,  and 
know  it  to  be  inevitable. 

Great  thoughts  are  heaving  in  the  world's  wide  breast; 
The  time  is  heaving  with  a  mighty  birth ; 

The  old  ideas  fall : 

Men  wander  up  and  down  in  wild  unrest ; 
A  sense  of  change  preparing  for  the  Earth 
Broods  over  all ! 

But  not  to  me — oh,  not  io  me  appear 

Perpetual  glooms ;  I  see  the  heavenly  ray ; 
I  feel  the  healthful  motion  of  the  sphere ; 
I  see  the  splendor  of  a  brighter  day. 
Ever  since  infant  Time  began, 
More  or  less  darkness  has  been  over  man , 
It  rolls  and  shrivels  up.     It  melts  away  1 

The  intellectual  culture  of  the  many,  who  are  yearning 
for  good,  is  more  than  a  match  for  the  learned  priest-craft 
that  domineered  over  the  too  credulous  of  former  ages. 
The  printing-press  now  speaks  to  the  masses,  and  rescues 
them  from  the  thraldom  of  the  oracles  that  spoke  of  old. 

Theologians  declare  that,  in  order  to  make  man  conform 
to  God's  will,  he  must  have  that  will  proclaimed  to  him 
in  special  language  either  by  speech  or  writing,  and  hence 
infer  the  necessity  for  a  Bible.  Let  us  probe  a  little  into 
this  assumed  necessity. 


84  ONE  RELIGION  :  MANY  CREEDS. 

The  most  casual  observer  of  animal  life,  if  brought  for 
a  moment  to  dwell  seriously  on  the  subject,  could  not  fail 
to  acknowledge  that  God  has  a  mode  of  instructing  His 
creatures,  which  amply  suffices  for  their  requirements  and 
His  own  glory.  And  if  this  be  evident  to  the  careless 
looker-on,  the  closer  student  will  find  a  thousand  curious 
proofs,  alike  in  its  fullness  and  its  minuteness,  that  the 
original  instructor  must  have  been  divine.  But  the 
routine  of  animal  life  being  so  far  known  and  noted  as  to 

o 

acquire  among  us  the  distinctive  appellation  of  "  natural," 
neither  ordinary  observer  nor  critical  student  dreams  of 
attributing  supernatural  causes  to  any  part  of  it.  We 
speak  of  it  as  the  course  of  Nature,  the  ordinance  of  the 
Almighty ;  and  there  let  it  rest.  No  one  imagines  that  a 
special  revelation  tells  the  migratory  race  of  birds  when, 
and  where  the  seasons  are  propitious  for  them,  or  that  an 
inspired  messenger  goes  down  to  the  depths  to  warn  cer- 
tain fish  at  certain  periods  that  it  were  well  for  them  to 
change  their  waters.  We  call  it  all,  in  a  general  way, 
"instinct;"  while  a  few  thinkers,  perhaps,  recognize  in 
this  self-same  instinct  the  marvellous  power  and  resources 
of  God. 

Now,  we  hold  that  instinct  is  implanted  in  man,  no  less 
than  in  the  brute  creation.  But  the  instincts  which  apply 
to  man's  spiritual  nature  are  of  an  essentially  different 
order.  Animal  instinct  concerns  itself  only  with  life  and 
the  means  of  living;  and  this  being  its  sole  end,  it  is 
restricted  thereto  ;  and  the  routine  is  limited,  each  after 
its  kind. 

Instinct  in  man  is,  we  say,  of  far  higher  quality.  That 
it  is  not  confined  to  a  mere  making  provision  for  the 
flesh — as  is  the  case  with  animals — is  manifest  from 
the  infinite  variety  of  human  pursuits  and  the  constant 


MORAL  INSTINCTS.  35 

changes  in  human  condition.  That  it  reaches  up  to 
something  above  and  beyond  this,  to  something  intel- 
lectual and  spiritual,  to  some  mysterious  but  existing  link 
between  creature  and  Creator,  is  palpable,  inasmuch  as 
the  recognition  of  an  over-ruling  Providence  has  been 
common  among  all  races  and  in  all  ages  whereof  we  have 
knowledge.  To  put  it  in  plainer  terms  :  instinct  in  ani- 
mals, becomes  in  man  natural  religion.  And  as  instinct 
is  universal  in  the  lower  rank,  so  is  natural  religion  uni- 
versal in  the  higher.  Is  there  not,  then,  a  pitiful  under- 
rating of  God's  reach  and  ability,  in  the  supposition  that 
He  limited  to  a  chosen  few  the  task  of  teaching  scattered 
portions  only  of  mankind  their  duty,  and  added  super- 
natural contrivances  to  his  broad  and  efficacious  means  of 
bringing  men's  souls  into  more  and  more  sympathy  with 
himself?  God  has  revealed  himself,  indeed  ;  but  his 
revelation  is  innate  in  man,  and  from  the  beginning.  It 
is  instinct,  that  teaches  bird  and  beast  how  to  provide  for 
their  physical  wants.  Instinct  in  man,  pertaining  to  his 
spiritual  nature,  points  to  his  duty  to  God,  to  himself,  and 
to  his  fellow-creatures.  Instinct  or  intuition,  and  educa- 
tion under  the  wholesome  restraints  and  training  inci- 
dent to  God's  unalterable  laws — together  with  the  natural 
attraction  that  causes  man's  spirit  to  gravitate  in  the  direc- 
tion of  His  Maker's — cannot  fail  eventually  to  realize  to 
man  all,  and  more  than  all  his  fond  imaginings  and  hopes 
as  to  the  happiness  that  God  has  in  store  for  him. 

Nor  has  God  allowed  any  human  soul  to  be  without 
this  dream  of  happiness  beyond  the  grave,  transcendently 
greater  than  any  that  this  life  permits.  We  cannot  con- 
ceive it  possible  that  He  can  disappoint,  in  the  slightest 
degree,  any  such  broad  foreshadowing  .of  his  goodness 
That  God  Las  prompted  man  to  lean  upon  him  for  solace, 


86  ONE  RELIGION :  MANY  CREEDS. 

every  human  soul  can  testify.  Who  shall  doubt  the 
realization  of  this  hope,  since  the  author  of  it  is  the 
pilot  to  conduct  to  its  consummation  ?  This  spontaneous 
*  inborn  faith  in  future  happiness  is  broad-spread  as  the 
human  race,  and  is  based  upon  the  One  God,  the  God 
who  knows  no  change,  neither  shadow  of  turning,  and 
whose  far-reaching  intelligence  and  omnipotent  power 
created  and  fashioned  the  universe. 

We  say,  this  faith,  so  founded,  over-rides  or  takes  pre- 
cedence— whether  it  be  noted  for  the  moment,  or  not — of 
all  the  so-called  faiths  supposed  to  rest  upon  the  imagined 
God  of  change  and  miracles.  This  faith  may  not  always 
be  equally  luminous,  but  it  shall  never  fail  in  its  office  of 
lighting  and  cheering  our  onward  and  still  onward  way 
toward  the  perfection  of  Him  who  caused  its  existence. 
All  faith  not  springing  from  within,  and  not  maintained 
in  man  in  the  absence  or  in  despite  of  artificial  teaching, 
lacks  the  stamp  of  genuineness  that  God  ever  imprints 
upon  what  he  has  ordained.  He  has  ordained  that  every 
man  shall,  sooner  or  later,  recognize  and  appreciate  His 
blessing.  Nothing  less  is  consistent  with  God's  determi- 
nate will  and  manifested  perfection. 

The  religion  here  advocated  is  God's  regularly  ap- 
pointed means  of  governing  mankind.  It  is  at  once  the 
oldest  and  the  newest  in  the  world.  It  dates  from  the 
first  created  man,  and  is  recorded  anew  in  each  succeed- 
ing child  that  is  born  into  the  world.  ,  It  is  stamped 
indelibly  on  every  fibre  of  his  nature,  without  alteration 
or  amendment — is  ever  fresh  and  new,  and  adapted  to 
his  every  want.  All  men  are  guided  and  governed  by 
it.  It  is  God's  great  light  shining  into,  and  reflected 
from  every  soul  of  man.  Whenever  there  is  a  soul  to 
receive,  there  is  light  to  pervade  it.  Such  is  God's  good- 


IT  GUIDES  US  UNPERCEIVED.  87 

ness  and  bounty.  None  can  doubt  the  authorship  of  this 
religion ;  nor  can  any  question  the  sufficiency  of  the  sup- 
ply of  that  which  contributes  to  its  exercise;  or  which 
makes  it  available  to  all  men,  at  all  times.  Those  who 
say  that  this  light  lures  to  evil  and  not  to  good — to  the 
paths  that  run  counter  to  God's  design — that  man  is  at 
enmity  with  God— should  remember  that  God  is  the 
author  of  man's  nature  and  propensities,  and  that  there- 
fore they  undertake  to  censure,  not  merely  man's  opinions, 
but  the  works  and  ways  of  God. 

Amid  the  contentions  and  clamor  caused  by  the  various 
antagonistic  creeds,  theologies,  and  dogmas,  there  are  pro- 
pounded for  the  mere  faith  of  man — each  sect  claiming 
the  monopoly  of  the  road  to  bliss — man  is  being  so 
quietly  conducted  along  the  true  path  to  his  welfare  and 
happiness,  by  a  religion  which  admits  of  no  antagonism— 
by  laws  that  cannot  clash,  but  which  co-operate  har- 
moniously, and  move  on  majestically  and  silently  to  the 
accomplishment  of  God's  purposes — that  the  means  by 
which  the  result  is  reached  are  unobserved.  Such  is  the 
case  in  relation  to  the  motion  of  the  earth,  of  which  we 
all  partake ;  and  yet  we  perceive  it  not,  except  through 
its  results.  It  produces  the  various  seasons,  day  and 
night,  seed-time  and  harvest,  summer  and  winter ;  and 
by  it  the  panorama  of  the  heavens  passes  in  succession 
before  the  delighted  gaze  of  the  whole  human  family. 
All  alike  enjoy  these  sights  and  blessings,  whether  they 
are  aware  that  the  immediate  cause  of  them  is  due  to  the 
motions  of  the  earth,  or  not. 

Some  may  not  recognize  the  law  that  guides  them; 
and,  io  this  extent,  their  knowledge  being  more  limited, 
their  enjoyment  may  not  be  as  full  as  that  of  others. 
But  when  applied  to  spiritual  things,  this  is  but  a  matter 


88  ONE  RELIGION:  MANY  CREEDS. 

of  time;  every  human  soul  will,  sooner  or  later,  arrive  at 
such  a  knowledge  and  experience  of  God's  goodness,  wis- 
dom, and  glory,  as  to  induce  all  to  thank  and  praise  and 
worship  Him  with  all  their  hearts  and  powers.  Our 
capacity  for  happiness  will  increase,  with  our  training  and 
education ;  and  as  all  must  pass  under  God,  through  the 
same  process  of  training,  all  must  at  last  arrive  at  the 
same  appreciation  of  His  goodness  and  glory — some,  it 
may  be,  by  a  more  tortuous  course,  and  by  the  experience 
of  greater  trials  and  afflictions ;  but  none  the  less  effec- 
tually to  the  accomplishment  of  God's  design.  What  we 
mean  is,  that  God's  mode  of  training  can  never  fail  to 
accomplish  the  end  He  has  in  view.  It  must  prove 
effectual.  All  will  experience  the  same  results,  by  having 
been  made  obedient  to  the  same  laws.  The  same  causes, 
which  operate  upon  all  alike,  will  produce  the  same  effects 
in  all ;  else  God  would  not  be  that  impartial  Being  that 
we  conceive  Him  to  be,  which  is  impossible.  When  a 
human  soul  is  brought  into  existence,  it  is  brought  into 
existence  for  eternity,  and  however  little  progress  it  may 
make  in  the  right  direction  during  its  sojourn  on  earth — 
whether  it  be  taken  hence  in  infancy  or  old  age,  or 
whether  it  has  advanced  tardily  or  rapidly  in  this  state 
of  probation — it  matters  not,  this  being,  as  we  said,  but 
a  matter  of  time.  God  has  ensured  that  it  cannot  fail  in 
being  brought  to  know  and  worship  Him  according  to  His 
good-will  and  pleasure,  and  to  the  attainment  of  supreme 
bliss.  And  as  to  the  mode  whereby  man  is  called  upon, 
while  here,  to  exhibit  his  gratitude  for  the  blessings  and 
bounties  bestowed  upon  him  by  his  maker,  let  us  see 
what  sort  of  gratitude  is  the  most  acceptable  to  God. 

Jesus,  whom  we   admit   to   have   been   a  very  good 
teacher  of  natural  religion,  and   who  will  be  taken  by 


GOOD  WORKS.  89 

most  readers  as  excellent  authority  in  this  respect,  has 
given  us  some  advice  through  his  teaching  to  the  scribes 
and  Pharisees.  When  he  was  asked,  "Why  walk  not  thy 
disciples  according  to  the  tradition  of  the  elders,  but  eat 
bread  with  unwashen  hands?"  his  reply  was  :  "  Well  hath 
Esaias  prophesied  of  you  hypocrites,  as  it  is  written. 
This  people  honoreth  me  with  their  lips,  but  their  heart 
is  far  from  me.  Howbeit,  in  vain  do  they  worship  me, 
teaching  for  doctrines  the  commandments  of  men.  For 
laying  aside  the  commandments  of  God,  ye  Ijiold  the  tra- 
dition of  men,  as  the  washing  of  pots  and  cups — and 
many  other  such  like  things  ye  do.  Ye  reject  the  com- 
mandment of  God  that  ye  may  keep  your  own  tradition, 
making  the  word  of  God  of  none  effect  through  your  tradi- 
tion which  ye  have  delivered ;  and  many  such  like  things 
do  ye." 

From  this  we  should  infer,  that  this  mere  lip-service — 
this  religion  of  mere  ceremonies — is  not  only  not  the 
worship  which  God  requires,  but  that  it  is  a  hindrance 
thereto.  Forms  and  ceremonies  may  be  well  as  mere 
preliminaries  or  stepping  stones  to  worship.  They  may 
tend  to  quicken  and  train  to  good  acts  the  germ  in  man's 
soul  whence  all  his  goodness  springs.  But  if  they  do  not 
exercise  a  beneficial  influence  on  him  in  relation  to  the 
right  performance  of  the  every-day  duties  of  life — if  they 
do  not  incite  him  to  the  actual  achievement  of  good 
deeds — they  are  of  no  avail  in  the  sight  of  God.  Under 
their  influence  the  religious  sentiments  may  expand ;  but 
if  they  be  not  productive  of  something  more,  they  are  not 
in  accordance  with  God's  high  purposes  in  relation  to 
man.  Can  man  expect  to  be  the  recipient  of  God's  boun- 
ties without  his  doing  the  work  which  God  has  required 
of  him?  Action  is  the  order  of  nature,  and  an  active 


90  ONE   RELIGION:  MANY  CREEDS. 

life  of  good  works — the  doing  to  others  as  we  would  be 
done  by,  with  a  profound  sense  of  dependence  upon  God — 
is  the  whole  duty  of  man.  The  line  between  that  which 
is  mere  church-form,  and  that  which  is  the  substance  of  a 
religious  life,  should  be  distinctly  marked.  Instead  of 
this  the  non-essentials  are  put  in  the  foreground ;  hence, 
mini's  religious  instincts  and  common  sense  should  turn 
him  from  mere  barren  ceremonies  to  the  legitimate  field 
of  action.  The  worship  dictated  by  nature  alone  meets 
the  spiritual  wants  of  man.  This  is  really  the  only  com- 
mon ground  on  which'  all  can  stand  harmoniously.  It 
has  an  inherent  vitality  and  force,  which  will,  under  the 
enlarging  civilization  and  mental  progress  of  the  day, 
drive  superstition  and  priest-craft  from  the  field,  and  dis- 
perse the  dark  clouds  which  have  so  long  and  so  gloomily 
overshadowed  the  true  light. 

There  exists  in  man  an  innate  or  spontaneous  faith  in 
the  eternal  goodness  and  justice  of  the  divine  ruler — a 
conviction  that  man's  best  interest  is  forwarded  by  his 
serving  God  according  to  His  universal  teachings.  No 
power  on  earth  can  obliterate  these  teachings,  or  mate- 
rially retard  their  influence,  however  they  may  seem  to 
be  smothered  in  some,  by  the  mass  of  theological  dogmas. 
It  still  governs  all  men's  actions,  whether  they  acknow- 
ledge it  or  not,  or  whether  they  are  aware  or  not  that  it  is 
the  sole  controlling  influence  which  is  actuating  them  for 
good,  and  restraining  them  from  evil.  The  work  of  the 
age  upon  which  we  have  entered  is  not  to  found  a  reli- 
gion— God  did  that  effectually  at  the  first — it  is  to  expose 
the  errors  which  it  has  been  attempted  to  be  substituted 
for  true  religion.  Every  year  furnishes  additional  proof, 
and  carries  conviction  to  increased  numbers  of  the  rising 
generation,  that  the  Bible  is  full  of  untruths.  This,  lire- 


TRUE  BASIS  OF  RELIGION.  91 

sistibly,  leads  to  free  and  increased  enquiry  in  relation  to 
all  that  is  recorded  therein.  A  new  spirit  is  abroad. 
Men  no  longer  ignore  their  common  sense,  in  judging  of 
the  claims  of  the  Bible  to  reliability.  Under  this  mode 
of  scrutiny,  conclusions  and  convictions  adverse  to  Bible 
record  are  accumulating  year  after  year.  Learning,  scien- 
tific research,  and  free  thought  are  fast  opening  the  eyes 
of  all  classes  to  the  imposition  to  which  they  have  been 
subjected  by  the  teachings  of  a  mere  dogmatical  faith. 
Those  who  sav  that  the  Bible  must  be  taken  in  all  its 

tt 

parts,  as  the  only  revealed  word  of  God,  say  also,  that 
man's  natural  faculties  are  utterly  corrupt,  depraved,  and 
at  enmity  with  God.  If  this  be  so — if  man's  mind  is  so 
wholly  corrupt,  and  all  hie  conclusions  in  relation  to  reli- 
gion are  so  wholly  unreliable — how  can  he  comprehend 
aright  the  doctrines  of  the  Bible  and  the  Churches,  which 
are  not  only  at  variance  with  all  his  intellectual  faculties, 
but  are  instinctively  repulsive.  How  is  this  innate  con- 
viction of  the  fallacy  of  the  Bible  doctrines  to  be  over- 
come ?  Any  proofs  offered  to  man's  reason,  or  any> 
appeals  made  to  his  conscience,  are  ineffectual,  if  the 
faculties  to  which  they  are  addressed  are  as  vicious  and 
incapable  of  sound  conclusions  as  they  are  represented  to 
be  by  the  Church. 

The  Church  doctrines  carry  with  them  their  own  refuta- 
tion, if  logically  examined.  If  addressed  for  the  first  time 
to  a  mature,  well  balanced,  and  cultivated  mind,  would 
they  not,  at  once,  be  rejected  as  unworthy  of  the  slightest 
credence?  This  is  well  understood;  hence,  the  effort, 
which  is  constantly  being  made,  to  imbue  with  them,  the 
minds  of  children,  and  of  others  equally  unsuspecting  and 
pliable. 


92          .       ONE  RELIGION:  MANY  CREEDS. 

If  the  natural  consciousness  of  mankind  is  the  true 
basis  of  religion,  and  the  hope  of  a  blessed  immortality, 
then  it  has  a  foundation  which  defies  criticism — and 
which  is  beyond  all  possible  apprehension  of  ever  being 
disturbed.  No  higher  foundation  than  God,  the  father  of 
all,  is  possible ;  and  no  faith  can  be  so  satisfying  and 
thorough,  as  that  which  is  the  inevitable  result  of  the 
promptings  of  that  innate  consciousness  which  is  most 
assuredly  of  God.  All  faith,  based  on  ideas  or  concep- 
tions derived  from  traditions  of  the  supernatural,  is  but  as 
chaff  in  comparison  with  that  derived  from  the  immediate 
promptings  of  God  to  each  individual.  It  is  inconceivable 
how  it  is  possible  to  doubt  this;  or  that  the  instruction, 
which  God  has  given  to  all  alike*,  is  not  the  true  guide  to 
faith  and  to  the  doing  of  His  will  by  His  creatures.  In 
fact,  there  is  no  faith  or  belief  contrary  to  this,  which  has 
sufficient  substance  in  it  to  control  any  man  materially  or 
to  modify  his  conceptions  of  his  religious  duties.  Hence 
all  the  faiths,  which  men  have  founded  on  other  than  the 
intuitions  of  the  soul,  go  for  nothing,  and  are  impotent  in 
respect  to  the  eventual  happiness  of  the  soul.  They  are 
the  result  of  education,  of  the  instilling  of  error  into  the 
minds  of  men  from  early  childhood,  and  had  their  origin 
in  the  greed  for  power  and  money.  All  views  in  relation 
to  religion  derived  from  the  Bible  and  other  sources,  and 
which  cannot  be  deduced  from  man's  natural  faculties 
independent  of  the  Bible,  must  of  necessity  be  open  to 
the  critical  investigation  of  history.  The  closest,  most 
advanced,  and  the  most  learned,  of  this  is  the  most  fatal 
to  such  doctrines.  As  an  example  of  this,  let  the  works 
of  the  Bishop  of  Natal  be  consulted.  He  establishes  most 
conclusively,  that  the  first  six  books  of  the  Bible — the 
corner-stone  of  the  whole  canon — were  not  written  by 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  MAN.  93 

their  supposed  author,  and  that  they  are  iiot  historically 
true,  much  less  divinely  inspired  and  infallible. 

Bishop  Colenso's  work  can  hardly  be  over-estimated 
for  importance,  when  we  consider  its  inevitable,  influence 
on  the  opinions  of  the  masses.  Of  course,  the  fact  of  his 
established  ability,  his  personal  character,  and  his  position 
as  a  dignitary  of  the  Church,  has  had  considerable  influ- 
ence in  adding  to  the  immediate  publicity  of  his  work. 

Religion  founded  on  human  consciousness  brings  into 
requisition,  an*d  into  harmonious  union  for  its  right  under- 
standing and  practice,  all  the  faculties  and  functions 
of  our  nature;  not  so  with  the  theology  founded  on  the 
Bible.  A  blind  faith  is  there  demanded  in  relation  to 
doctrines  which  neither  the  head,  the  heart,  nor  the  con- 
science can  take  any  part  in  confirming.  A  conception 
of  God,  formed  through  all  the  faculties  and  functions  of 
man  acting  in  conjunction,  presents  Him  as  a  being  whom 
to  believe  in  is  to  adore,  and  whom  to  adore  is  to  obey. 

While  all  men '  have  a  love  of  the  novel  and  the  mar- 
vellous, few  men  naturally  give  credence  to  the  miraculous 
and  supernatural.  The  human  mind,  in  virtue  of  a  consti- 
tutional bias,  is  prepared  from  the  first  to  count  on  the 
constancy  of  nature's  sequences 'which  experience  ever 
confirms.  Similar  causes  always  produce  similar  effects. 
This  is  indispensable  to  the  being  led  through  experience 
to  any  system  of  truth  by  which  to  guide  our  actions  ;  yet 
those  who  under  the  teaching  of  the  church  from  child- 
hood, have  given  a  tacit  assent  to  doctrine  of  especial 
enactments  of  God  at  the  instance  of  prayer  or  other 
cause,  to  provide  for  certain  emergencies,  have  not  even 
in  this  our  enlightened  day,  the  moral  courage  to  deny 
altogether  what  they  could  not  bring  themselves  to 
believe — that  is  to  say,  what  did  not  appear  to  them  to 


94  ONE  RELIGION:   MANY  CREEDS. 

be  in  harmony  with  the  dictates  of  reason,  and  the  laws 
of  nature.  In  order  to  know  what  man  is  by  nature  and 
apart  from  erroneous  teaching,  we  ought  to  know  what 
lie  has  been  under  the  various  theological  teachings  that 
have  prevailed  in  different  ages  and  in  the  several  quar- 
ters of  the  earth.  The  history  of  these  distant  ages  and 
distant  men — apparently  so  foreign  to  our  modern  inter- 
ests— assumes  a  new  charm,  so  soon  as  we  know  that  it 
tells  us  the  story  of  our  own  race,  of  our  own  family — nay, 
of  our  own  selves.  History  gives  us  the  thread  which  con- 
nects the  present  with  the  past.  Many  scenes,  it  is  true, 
are  lost  beyond  the  hope  of  recovery;  and  the  most  inter- 
esting of  all,  the  opening  scenes  of  the  childhood  of  the 
human  race,  are  known  to  us  by  such  small  fragments 
only,  that  they  do  but  make  every  word  the  more  wel- 
come, that  bears  the  impress  of  the  early  days  of  man- 
kind. So  far  as  we  can  trace  back  the  footsteps  of  man, 
even  on  the  lowest  strata  of  history,  we  see  that  the  divine 
gift  of  a  sound  and  sober  intellect,  and  all  the  kind  and 
gentle  emotions  belonged  to  him  from  the  very  first. 

The  human  mind  has  an  inborn  reverence  for  the  past, 
that  it  may  the  better  divine  the  future,  to  ferret  out 
which  is  the  ruling  passion  of  man,  since  the  vast  won- 
drous ways  of  God  lay  before  him,  and  God  as  a  magnet 
is  ever  drawing  him  thither.  As  man  the  more  and  more 
obeys  this  divine  incentive,  he  the  more  and  more  per- 
ceives God's  goodness,  and  discards  former  false  views, 
and  discharges  many  myths  because  they  are  not  in  har- 
mony with  his  purer  conceptions  of  God,  and  therefore 
must  be  false. 

The  mythic  form  of  expression  which  prevailed  in 
earlier  ages  is  giving  way  before  comparative  philology, 
which  has  placed  in  our  hands  a  telescope  of  such  power, 


STUDY  OF  OTHER  THEOLOGIES.  95 

that  the  mist  which  the  theologians  would  hold  before  our 
eyes  is  too  thin  to  prevent  God's  perfections  appearing  the 
more  and  more  to  us.  He  is  no  longer  a  God  of  ven- 
geance, but  a  God  of  infinite  goodness. 

Paul  says,  "  Prove  all  things ;  hold  fast  that  which  is 
good."  Many  are  the  advantages  to  be  derived  from  a 
careful  study  of  other  theologies,  creeds  and  faiths,  than 
our  own ;  but  the  greatest  of  all  is,  that  it  teaches  us  to 
appreciate  more  truly  what  it  is  that  constitutes  true 
religion.  Let  us  see  what  other  nations  as  well  as  our 

o 

own  have  had  and  still  have  in  the  place  of  religion  ;  let 
us  examine  the  prayers,  the  worship,  the  theology  even 
of  the  most  highly  civilized  races, — the  Greeks,  the 
Romans,  the  Hindus,  the  Persians, — and  we  shall  then 
understand  more  thoroughly  what  it  is,  that  they  all 
agree  upon  as  true,  and  what  it  is  that  they  differ  in,  and 
in  this  way  be  enabled  to  discriminate  between  the  essen- 
tial and  the  non-essential  in  the  diversified  things  which 
have  been  deemed  worship  at  various  times  and  in 
various  countries. 

Those  who  would  limit  the  riches  of  God's  goodness, 
and  would  hand  over  the  largest  portion  of  the  human 
race  to  inevitable  perdition,  without  having  made  them- 
selves acquainted  with  the  religion  of  those  they  condemn, 
do  at  the  same  time  impute  to  God  injustice,  upon  no 
better  evidence  than  theology  originating  in  superstition 
and  priest-craft — they  use  ignorance  as  evidence,  as 
though  it  were  knowledge.  It  is  true  that  until  very 
lately  the  sacred  books  of  three  of  the  most  important 
systems  of  faith,  those  of  the  Brahmans,  the  Buddhists, 
and  the  Parsees,  were  totally  unknown  in  Europe,  but 
this  furnishes  no  valid  excuse  for  those  who  consign  all 
who  do  not  embrace  their  own  theology  to  eternal  tor- 


96          ONE  RELIGION  :  MANY  CREEDS. 

merit.  The  sincere  and  earnest  seeker  after  truth  (though 
he  may  have  a  deference  for  the  Christian  theology)  as  he 
becomes  acquainted  with  the  history  and  habits  of  the 
various  great  nations  into  which  mankind  is  divided, 
cannot  but  ask  himself  the  question  whether  if  the 
heathen,  (as  they  are  disparagingly  termed)  should  judge 
of  us  as  the  Christians  judge  of  them  by  the  worst  phases 
of  human  character,  (and  that  exaggerated,)  if  we  would 
stand  any  better  in  their  estimation  than  they  do  in  the 
estimation  of  the  Christians. 

If  the  Indians  had  formed  their  notions  of  the  influ- 
ence of  Christianity  on  man  from  the  soldiers  of  Cortez 
and  Pizarro,  or  if  the  Hindus  had  studied  the  principles 
of  Christian  morality  in  the  lives  of  Clive  and  Warren 
Hastings,  or,  to  take  a  less  extreme  case,  if  a  Mohamme- 
dan, or  Buddhist  living  in  Christian  countries,  were  to 
test  the  practical  working  of  Christian  charity  by  the 
spirit  displayed  in  the  journals  of  our  various  religious 
parties,  their  notions  of  Christianity  would  be  about  as 
correct  as  the  ideas  which  thousands  of  educated  Christians 
entertain  of  the  character  of  the  heathen  religion.  Even 
Christianity  has  been  depraved  into  Jesuitism  and  Mor- 
monisrn,  and  if  we  claim  the  right  to  appeal  to  the  gospel 
as  the  only  test  by  which  our  faith  is  to  be  judged,  we 
must  gramt  a  similar  privilege  to  Mohammedans  and 
Buddhists,  and  to  all  who  possess  a  written,  and,  as  they 
believe,  supernaturally  revealed  authority  for  the  articles 
of  their  faith. 

We  cannot  comprehend  how  any  one  who  worships  God 
in  spirit  and  in  truth,  who  holds  that  he  is  perfect  in  all 
things,  that  his  goodness  knows  no  bounds,  can  subscribe 
to  the  dogma  that  God  determined  from  the  first  to  elect 
a  chosen  few,  as  the  recipients  of  everlasting  bliss,  and 


INNATE  PROMPTINGS  OF  THE  HEART.  97 

consigned  much  the  largest  portion  of  mankind  to  per- 
petual torment,  for  no  fault  of  their  own,  but  at  the 
instance  of  an  arbitrary  will,  the  justice  of  which  no  man, 
can  comprehend.  If  the  holding  of  such  faith,  if  ascrib- 
ing such  character  to  God,  is  not  sinning  against  Him,  and 
debasing  ourselves,  we  cannot  conceive  what  is.  God  is 
a  God  of  infinite  goodness,  not  of  vengeance ;  to  be 
loved,  not  to  be  feared ;  to  be  worshipped  for  love's  sake, 
not  through  fear  of  everlasting  punishment. 

How  beautiful  does  this  incentive  to  the  worship  of 
God  appear,  in  comparison  with  that  which  wrings  assent 
from  us  by  the  threat  of  torment !  And  more  particu- 
larly when  we  take  into  consideration,  that  this  threat  of 
torment  involves  only  a  faith  coming  to  us  from  uncertain 
authority,  and  repugnant  alike  to  our  innate  perceptions 
of  love  and  duty. 

To  present  so  dark  and  hideous  a  picture  of  God  and 
of  His  mode  of  drawing  men  to  Him,  presupposes  that 
there  is  not  enough  in  the  picture  that  God  presents  of 
Himself,  to  win  man  to  love  and  worship  Him. 

The  law  implanted  within  the  nature  of  man  to  regu- 
late his  physical  system  is  expressed  by  the  sensations, 
propensities,  promptings,  appetites,  tastes,  and  checks, 
that  God  originally  gave  him,  and  that  are  indispensable 
to  the  perpetuity  of  the  human  race.  In  like  manner, 
the  soul  of  each  individual  must  be  guided,  in  its  pursuit 
after  happiness  and  well-being,  by  similar  laws,  which 
God  has  implanted  within  his  moral  nature ;  namely,  by 
the  innate,  instinctive,  irresistible  promptings  of  the  heart 
and  spirit,  after  what  is  good,  and  true,  and  just,  and 
kind,  and  lovely.  Indeed,  we  all  know  by  the  necessity 
of  the  case  that  man  has  a  consciousness  and  conviction 
within  him  that  he  possesses  these  perceptions  and  incen- 
7 


98  ONE  RELIGION:  MANY  CREEDS. 

lives,  and  that  they  are  the  infallible  guides  which  God 
has  placed  there  for  his  instruction  and  warning.  The 
more  faithful  he  is  therefore  to  these  instructions  and 
warnings,  the  more  happy  he  will  be — just  as  the  more 
faithful  he  is  to  the  rules  regulating  the  health  of  his 
body,  the  more  sound  will  be  his  constitution,  and  the 
freer  he  will  be  from  disease.  To  love  God  is  to  love 
His  attributes ;  and  the  germs  of  that  love  being  within 
us,  all  we  have  to  do  is  to  cultivate  them,  and  to  make 
them  active.  To  strive  to  imitate  Him,  or,  rather,  to 
inculcate  in  our  hearts  a  love  of  truth,  justice,  and  good- 
ness— the  prime  traits  of  character  in  the  Almighty — is 
the  worship  and  homage  that  are  most  acceptable  to  Him. 
But  God  is  represented  in  the  Bible,  and  by  those  who 
adhere  to  its  teachings,  as  being  endowed  with  attributes, 
purposes,  and  modes  of  action  wholly  inconsistent  with 
the  existence  of  such  laws  and  incentives,  to  the  acquisi- 
tion and  cultivation  of  virtue  in  the  heart  of  man.  The 
Bible  is,  moreover,  utterly  irreconcilable  with  itself.  The 
Old  and  New  Testaments,  particularly,  are  at  variance 
with  each  other,  and  on  some  of  the  most  vital  points. 
God  Himself  is  represented  as  a  Being  endowed  with  the 
most  opposite  traits  of  character.  In  some  places  He  is 
said  to  be  a  God  of  infinite  goodness,  love,  and  justice ; 
in  others,  a  God  of  hatred,  revenge,  cruelty,  and  injustice. 
He  is  represented  as  so  unjust  as  to  consign  to  everlasting 
punishment  all  those  who  are  not  His  favorites;  or,  who 
will  not,  or  cannot,  believe  in  the  very  impracticable  doc- 
trine that  Jesus  must  save  them, — and  that  in  a  way 
which  they  cannot  understand.  And  yet  such  incongrui- 
ties are  the  very  opposite  to  the  doctrines  of  Jesus,  whom 
Christian  theologians  profess  to  rely  upon,  as  the  best  arid 
most  infallible  guide  to  man.  For,  with  the  exception  of 


THE  DEVIL.  99 

some  ideas  which  he  entertained  toward  the  latter  part  of 
his  career,  to  the  effect  that  he  was  the  Messiah,  and  that 
he  would  come  again  at  some  future  time  to  take  posses- 
sion of  his  kingdom,  and  reward  his  followers,  and  punish 
his  enemies  by  bidding  them  to  depart  forever  from  his 
presence  and  province,  which  he  denominated  everlasting 
punishment — apart  from  this,  we  say,  his  religion  was  as 
much  in  unison  with  that  written  on  man's  heart  and 
nature,  as  it  could  be.  It  was  in  perfect  accordance  with 
that  which  has  just  been  advocated,  and  which 'is  innate 
in  man,  and  only  needs  to  be  developed  by  stimulation 
and  cultivation.  It  was  a  reflection  of  God's  laws,  ope- 
rating in  the  hearts  of  men.  Whatever  of  good  there  is 
in  man  comes  from  this  source  and  teaching,  and  from  no 
other. 

Again,  the  idea  of  the  existence  of  a  devil,  and  of  the 
baneful  influence  ascribed  to  him  over  the  minds,  conduct 
and  happiness  of  man,  is  in  direct  contradiction  to  God's 
infinite  power,  justice,  and  goodness. 

If  God  created  man  with  a  free-will ;  and  in  His  good- 
ness allowed  him  the  exercise  of  his  free-will  by  setting 
before  him  things,  all  good  in  themselves,  but  by  the  use 
or  abuse  of  which  he  would  experience  good  or  evil 
results ;  and  if  in  the  exercise  of  his  free  agency  man 
sometimes  chooses  the  evil — this  is  but  the  result  of  his 
short-sightedness,  and  the  abuse  of  his  free  agency.  It 
furnishes  no  grounds  for  the  idea  of  the  existence  of  such 
an  evil  spirit,  as  that  which  is  said  to  run  counter  to  the 
nature  of  God,  and  to  tempt  man  to  sin  against  Him. 
The  idea  of  a  Supreme  Devil,  or  God  of  Evil,  originated 
with  the  Persiap,  centuries  before  the  Christian  Theology 
was  ever  thought  of.  Yet  it  is  curious  to  notice,  in  pass- 
ing, how  differently  the  Church  has  treated  the  Persian 


100  ONE  RELIGION:  MANY  CREEDS. 

Div,  and  the  Ore  God,  who  is  common  to  all  faiths.  Out 
of  the  one  true  God,  it  has  made  a  triform  and  triune 
Deity,  scarcely  less  fantastic  than  certain  divinities  wor- 
shipped by  Pagans  ;  while  the  Div,  or  Satan,  is  allowed  to 
maintain  his  potential  unity,  and  figures  in  the  Church's 
cheerful  programme  for  this-  world,  as  going  about  like  a 
roaring  lion  seeking  whom  he  may  devour ;  and  in  the 
next,  as  executioner-in-chief  to  an  extremely  wrathful 
judge. 

Now  it  is  against  all  reason  to  suppose,  for  a  moment, 
that  there  is  such  an  evil  principle  so  embodied,  and 
therefore  Div  cannot  be  admitted  as  a  medium  of  tempta- 
tion to  man.  When  man  errs,  it  is  not  the  result  of  an 
innate  viciousness ;  nor  because  he  has  anything  placed 
before  him  which  contains  properties  that  are  evil  in 
themselves.  It  is  because  he  is  either  ignorant  of  the 
nature  of  those  properties,  or  because  being  careless  or 
reckless  in  the  exercise  of  his  free  agency,  he  indulges  too 
freely  in  their  use.  Education  only  in  addition  to  his 
innate  perceptions,  can  regulate  him  in  this  matter.  And 
to  this  end  God  has  ordained  that,  whenever  man  over- 
steps the  bounds  of  propriety,  he  shall  suffer  for  it  at 
once ;  or  within  such  time  that  the  punishment  for  delin- 
quencies that  are  incident  to  man,  while  in  the  flesh,  may 
serve  the  purpose  of  correction  and  warning.  In  this 
way,  God's  punishments,  termed  by  the  Church,  "  the 
vengeance  of  the  Almighty,"  are  all  applied  in  mercy. 
There  would  be  confusion  and  inconsistency  and  injustice 
in  the  idea,  that  man  is  to  be  chastised  in  a  future  state 
of  existence  for  crimes  committed  in  this,  there  can  be 
no  temptation  beyond  the  grave  to  corifcnit  crimes  that 
specially  appertain  to  this  life ;  and,  therefore,  such  pun- 
ishment would  be  retrospective  and  totally  useless  for 


PUNISHMENT  NOT  RETROSPECTIVE.  101 

God's  sole  end  of  training  and  improvement.  His  is  not 
punishment  deferred.  Neither  is  punishment  by  His  laws 
appropriate  after  the  offender  has  corrected  himself.  God's 
punishment,  we  repeat,  is  for  the  correction  of  the  fault 
committed,  with  reference  to  future  amendment.  It  is 
not — it  would  be  absurd  to  say  that  it  is — eternal  pun- 
ishment for  faults  which  God  notes  down,  and  that  He 
inflicts  it  in  a  revengeful  spirit  at  some  future  time  when 
it  may  be  presumed  that  even  the  memory  of  their  com- 
mittal has  passed  away.  No,  this  is  unworthy  of  infinite 
goodness  ;  and  we  hold  it  to  be  entirely  irrational.  The 
bare  idea  that  God  could  for  any  offence,  or  for  any  cause 
whatsoever,  determine  that  any  of  His  creatures  should 
be  irrecoverably  tormented,  upsets  at  once  the  idea  of  the 
whole  nature  and  perfections  of  God,  and  makes  Him — 
not  what  the  Bible  describes  Him  to  be,  in  some  places, 
a  God  of  love — but  what  it  describes  Him.  to  be  in  other 
places,  "a  consuming  fire,"  a  revengeful,  hateful,  and 
malignant  monster.  How  Christian  people,  who  have 
any  appreciation  of  the  goodness  and  beauty  of  His  char- 
acter, can  so  debase  Him,  we  are  at  a  loss  to  under- 
stand. We  can  entertain  no  possible  idea,  in  relation  to 
God,  other  than  that  of  His  perfection.  Hence,  as  per- 
fection embraces  all  goodness,  justice,  and  order,  and  as 
man's  conception  of  these  qualities — is  of  God's  creating, 
it  follows  that  man's  ideas  of  good  and  evil — which  are 
indissolubly  associated  with  these  qualities,  are  in  the 
main,  in  accordance  with  God's  own  teaching. 

All  the  creeds  and  theologies  of  the  Bible  and  the 
Churches,  which  man's  conscience  rejects,  and  in  which 
all  the  faculties  of  his  mind  combined  fail  to  recognize, 
God's  goodness,  must,  of  necessity,  be  untrue.  Shall 
traditional  authority  alone  reverse  all  this?  God  has 


102  ONE  RELIGION:  MANY  CREEDS. 

decreed  otherwise.  Men  deceive  themselves,  when  they 
give  a  formal  or  pretended  adherence  to  such  teachings. 
They  will  not  be  of  the  slightest  service  to  men,  either 
here  or  hereafter.  Whenever  such  errors  cease  to  be 
instilled  into  the  pliant  minds  of  children,  and  others, 
who  are  not  accustomed  to  think  for  themselves,  then  will 
they  be  consigned  to  oblivion — their  proper  place.  Then 
will  the  religion,  which  is  an  integral  part  of  man,  and 
which  nature  stimulates  with  never-failing  effect,  be  left 
unadulterated  with  such  unseemly  dross  as  the  theologians 
would  heap  upon  it. 

That  happiness  is  the  true  and  normal  condition  of  life, 
and  misery  the  exception,  is  evidenced  in  a  thousand 
ways.  All  animated  beings,  whether  rational  or  irra- 
tional, seek  it,  intuitively.  As  a  rule  of  almost  universal 
application,  those  who  live  the  most  joyful,  buoyant,  and 
happy  lives,  live  the  longest.  Pleasurable  sensations 
also,  both  mental  and  physical,  not  only  attend  all  the 
duties  and  functions  of  life,  but  the  legitimate  exercise  of 
every  faculty  affords  its  own  peculiar  pleasure  ;  pain  may 
sometimes  result ;  but  this  is  the  extraordinary,  and  not 
the  ordinary,  rule.  In  the  aggregate,  the  preponderance 
is  largely  in  favor  of  pleasure.  Pleasure,  resulting  from 
the  performance  of  the  duties  of  life,  evidently  springs 
from  a  double  source.  First,  it  is  a  spontaneous  emana- 
tion from  divine  goodness,  as  a  free-will  gift  to  his  crea- 
tures ;  and  secondly,  it  is  an  incentive  and  guide  to  the 
requirements  of  peace  and  self-preservation,  and  to  the 
practice  of  benevolence,  love,  friendship,  and  all  other 
kindly  impulses. 

The  happiness  that  man  realizes  from  conscious  exist- 
ence, may  rationally  be  taken  as  a  guarantee  that  it  is  his 
normal  condition ;  and  whatever  God  addresses  to  his 


HAPPINESS  OF  THIS  LIFE.  103 

reason  is  never  in  vain  or  without  a  beneficent  object. 
Man  has  implanted  within  him,  by  God,  a  religious 
instinct  or  tendency  to  glorify  him.  To  live  an  innocent 
and  joyous  life  is  one  mode  of  thanking  God  for  existence. 
The  insects  that  sport  in  the  sunshine,  the  lambs  that 
gambol  in  the  fields,  the  birds  that  warble  their  merry  or 
plaintive  songs  in  the  trees,  and  the  children  in  their 
bright  and  gladsome  spirits  while  at  play,  all  thank  God 
for  their  existence,  in  His  own  appointed  way.  With 
regard  to  these  last,  God  has  provided,  through  the  laws 
of  nature,  for  their  guidance  and  care  in  a  more  marked 
manner  ;  and  man,  who  has  come  to  riper  years  and  is 
more  under  the  control  of  reason,  may  well  learn  a  lesson 
from  them.  To  inculcate  the  idea  that  a  melancholy 
spirit  and  a  gloomy  walk  through  life  are  more  acceptable 
to  God  than  the  cheerful  heart — which  God  is  ever,  in  ten 
thousand  ways,  exhilarating,  is  an  impediment  to  true 
religion.  God  intended  that  all  His  creatures  should  live 
serene  and  happy  lives.  This  is  pre-eminently  apparent 
from  the  allurements  so  lavishly  strewed  in  the  path  of 
all,  to  win  them  back  from  gloom  and  sorrow  to  sunshine 
and  gladness.  Cheerfulness  begets  cheerfulness  ;  pain  is 
exhaustive,  tends  to  its  own  cessation.  The  action  of  the 
organs,  in  the  production  of  pleasure,  is  promotive  of  their 
development  and  increased  capacity.  The  same  cannot 
be  said  of  pain  ;  therein  the  reverse  is  the  rule.  Pleasure 
tends  to  its  own  augmentation  and  perpetuity.  Pain 
benumbs  the  nerves,  and  works  its  own  diminution  or 
extinction.  Pain  gives  warning  of  impending  dangers 
to  life  and  happiness.  Pleasure  trains  to  religion  and  a 
blissful  eternity.  Such  is  the  voice  of  God  within  us, 
and  such  is  the  voice  of  nature  without  us.  But  let  it  be 
borne  in  mind  that  the  happiness,  here  spoken  of,  is  that 


104  ONE  RELIGION:  MANY  CREEDS. 

which  is  consistent  with  virtue,  when  indulged  in  to  a 
rational  or  legitimate  extent.  Man  may  run  into  excess 
in  the  pursuit  of  happiness,  or  he  may  indulge  in  vice  and 
dissipation,  thinking  happiness  lies  therein.  In  either 
case,  the  result  will  be  the  reverse  of  what  he  expects, 
for  the  choicest,  blessings  of  life  are  only  precious  when 
used  in  moderation.  The  vital  and  unextinguishable 
sense  of  right  and  wrong,  the  love  of  good,  and  the 
abhorrence  of  evil,  which  God  has  implanted  in  man's 
nature,  together  with  the  system  of  perpetual  training 
through  rewards  and  punishments  which  He  has  estab- 
lished must,  and  will  ultimately  prevail,  and -insure  the 
ascendancy  and  triumph  of  the  good,  the  right,  and  the 
true,  against  all  adverse  influences.  Anv  other  idea  than 

O  * 

this  is  an  imputation  against  the  righteousness  of  God's 
purpose,  and  the  perfection  of  His  work  in  creating  man. 
When  man  brings  to  bear  all  the  faculties  of  his  mind — 
reason  as  well  as  instinct — with  a  view  of  ascertaining 
God's  will  and  purposes  in  relation  to  him,  and  his  proper 
duty  to  God,  the  result  must  be  a  more  satisfying,  a 
sounder,  and  a  more  abiding  faith  in  the  correctness  of 
the  conclusions  arrived  at,  than  can  possibly  be  the  case 
when  his  several  faculties  are  at  variance  on  the  subject. 
A  faith  predicated  on  the  infallibility  of  the  Bible,  which 
in  many  instances  runs  counter  to  itself,  is  not  a  safe  guide 
to  the  future  destiny  of  an  immortal  spirit,  thirsting  for 
enlarged  supplies  of  knowledge  and  holiness. 

What  is  termed  evil  in  connection  with  the  spiritual  or 
mental  part  of  man,  results  from  his  not  being  perfect,  as 
God  is  perfect.  This  is  a  necessity.  The  creature  must 
be  lower  than  the  Creator.  But  the  enquiry,  not  unnatu- 
rally presents  itself — why  has  God  placed  man  so  low? 
Why  has  He  allowed  so  much  seeming  evil  to  exist  that 


MAN'S  TRUST  IN  GOD.  105 

man's  happiness  and  well  being  are  apparently  put  in 
jeopardy?  Why  was  man  not  endowed,  at  his  creation, 
with  a  free  agency  so  limited  as  materially  to  diminish 
the  evil  that  now  attends  him?  These  are  questions 
which  are  altogether  beyond  our  present  understanding. 
The  proper  answer  is  known  only  to  God ;  but  that  it  is 
best  to  be  as  it  is,  there  can  be  no  doubt.  It  is  incon- 
ceivable that  what  God  has  done  involves  other  than  the 
greatest  possible  good.  Man  is  to  comprehend  so  much 
of  God's  purposes  or  ways,  as  is  necessary  for  his  good 
and  happiness  while  in  this  life  in  order  to  prepare  him 
for  the  next.  God's  infinite  perfections  guarantee  this; 
and  His  benevolent  purposes,  in  creating  man,  are  beyond 
the  possibility  of  question.  To  feel  such  trust  in  God  as 
this  acknowledgment  implies,  is  man's  highest  privilege, 
and  his  indispensable  solace.  God  has  given  him  this 
abiding  confidence,  with  its  attendant  charm  of  reliance, 
through  such  means  as  admit  of  no  failure.  A  majority  of 
mankind  may  never  proclaim  it  in  words  ;  but  neverthe- 
less each  and  every  human  being,  that  ever  came  to  con- 
sciousness, proclaims  it  in  thousands  of  ways  that  are 
pleasing  to  God.  The  multitudes  of  cheerful  spirits,  and 
bright  and  happy  upturned  faces,  that  we  meet  daily, 
exhibit  a  never  flagging  hope  of  better  things  to  come. 
This  blessed  hope  is  an  emanation  from  God,  to  cheer  us 
onward;  and  it  betokens  more  and  more  precious  trea- 
sures in  store  for  us  hereafter.  For  God  can  neither 
deceive,  nor  engender  delusive  hopes,  to  cheat  or  mislead 
his  creatures. 

Time,  with  its  never  ceasing  tread,  hurries  man  to  his 
unseen  destiny,  and  yet  he  trembles  not,  nor  fears.  Let  all 
bless  God  in  their  hearts,  that  such  is  the  glorious  reward 
of  this  implicit  trust — founded  in  the  depths  of  each  human 


106  ONE  RELIGION :  MANY  CREEDS. 

soul,  echoed  from  heart  to  heart,  and  chimed  throughout 
all  nature  by  its  every  aspect  and  mood.  It  must  all  be 
well  for  those  who  have  the  great,  the  just,  the  perfect 
God  for  their  pilot  and  sponsor ;  and,  vast  as  is  the  differ- 
ence between  the  perfection  of  God  and  the  frailty  of 
short-sighted  man,  yet  man  is  still  encouraged  to  make 
efforts — though  feeble  they  may  be — to  approach  God's 
goodness  and  knowledge,  and  to  start  on  the  high  career 
of  assimilating  himself  to  God's  perfection.  He  finds  that 
at  each  step  he  gains  new  accessions  of  strength,  brighter 
light,  and  stronger  aspirations  and  impulses  to  press 
onward.  This  encouragement  and  this  helpjcome  from 
Him  who  knows  the  vastness  of  the  object  aimed  at,  the 
means  to  be  used,  and  the  degree  of  success  that  awaits 
the  seemingly  futile  effort.  These  conceptions  open  to  our 
view  a  prospect  of  stupendous  magnificence  and  glory. 
They  show  that  it  is  in  reserve  for  man  to  progress  through 
countless  ages,  adding  knowledge  to  knowledge,  and  excel- 
lence to  excellence,  and  to  be  ever  approaching  nearer  and 
nearer  to  God's  perfect  holiness.  They  intimate  that  man 
is  permitted  to  be  an  active  and  free  agent,  under  God's 
supervision,  in  contributing  to  his  own  advancement  and 
the  carrying  out  of  God's  benign  purposes.  May  not  this 
view,  to  some  extent,  illustrate  the  wisdom  of  God  in 
placing  man  so  low,  and  with  such  a  glorious  career 
before  him?  May  not  the  sum  total  of  man's  happiness 
be  greater,  as  he  is  ever  emerging  from  a  dimmer  to  a 
brighter  light — from  one  stage  of  happiness  to  another, 
still  higher — ever  advancing  in  his  aims  and  longings  for 
an  existence  far  above,  and  superior  to  this,  where  he  will 
be  blessed  with  an  increased  knowledge  of  the  mysteries 
of  creation  and  God's  wondrous  ways?  Does  not  this 
accord  with  what  we  know  of  our  own  natures  and  expe- 


PAIN— A  BLESSING.  107 

rience  here?  Is  not  our  appreciation  of  the  things 
around  us  assisted  by  contrast?  Are  not  our  very  plea- 
sures heightened  by  expectation  ?  Each  aim  we  have 
accomplished,  begets  higher  aims,  nobler  purposes  and 
increased  energies,  if  we  are  but  true  to  ourselves  and  our 
innate  promptings  and  inspirations.  Each  and  every 
gloomy,  dark  foreboding  that  lies  in  the  path  of  life  will 
ultimately,  under  pod's  inscrutable  providence,  be  made 
subservient  to  our  welfare  and  happiness.  This  is  con- 
stantly being  illustrated,  during  our  brief  sojourn  on 
earth  ;  and  to  an  extent,  and  in  ways  so  mysterious  and 
uniooked-fyr,  that  the  evidence  of  our  senses  leads  us  to 
the  same  conclusions  as  does  faith,  based  upon  God's  wis- 
dom, goodness,  and  justice,  and  manifested  throughout  all 
His  works.  God  seems  to  take  delight  in  making  dark- 
ness available  and  subservient  to  the  appreciation  of  the 
splendor  of  His  works,  and  to  a  reverence  and  worship  of 
Himself.  The  high  sense  of  beauty,  and  the  pious  emo- 
tions that  spring  up  within  us  on  viewing  the  countless 
stars  spangling  the  firmament,  would  be  lost  to  us — but 
from  being  contrasted  with  the  darkness  of  the  night. — 
Viewed  from  the  shaded  side  of  earth  and  of  life,  the  true 
glory  of  heaven  is  better  seen,  and  the  value  of  God's 
goodness  and  wisdom  is  more  appreciated. 

That  species  of  evil  which  is  denominated  pain,  and 
which  relates  to  the  physical,  or  material  part  of  man,  is 
unmistakably  ordained  of  God  for  man's  ultimate  good. 
Matter,  unlike  the  mind  or  spirit  of  man,  is  destined  to 
dissolution  and  to  a  return  to  dust.  Man,  by  his  intui- 
tions and  by  the  other  faculties  of  his  rnind,  desires,  and 
is  led  to  the  preservation  of  the  body,  to  the  fullest  extent 
practicable.  Without  the  instrumentality  of  pain,  man 
would  not  be  able  to  do  his  body  the  good  offices  and  ser- 


108  ONE  RELIGION:   MANY  CREEDS. 

vices  which  he  does  now,  and  which  are  indispensable  to 
the  continuation  of  his  species,  even  for  but  a  very  brief 
space  of  time.  Each  and  every  sensation  of  bodily  pain 
is  a  warning  that  the  welfare  of  the  body  is  endangered, 
and  requires  the  good  offices  of  its  co-partner — the  intel- 
lect— in  its  behalf.  This  monitor,  pain,  therefore,  of  all 
others,  is  the  one  most  likely  to  be  recognized  and  obeyed; 
and,  in  general,  as  the  danger  is  more  imminent,  so  is  the 
monitor  more  persistent  in  his  demands  for  an  immediate 
attention  to  his  warnings.  As  a  general  rule,  whatever 
pertains  to  the  health,  vigor,  and  preservation  of  the  body 
is  attended  with  more  or  less  pleasure ;  while  whatever 
tends  to  its  destruction  is  painful.  We  not  only,  there- 
fore, have  a  sleepless  sentinel  on  duty,  to  proclaim 
approaching  danger ;  we  have  premiums  offered  for 
attending  to  the  legitimate  wants  of  our  own  bodies,  and 
for  striving  to  promote  our  own  happiness.  How  beauti- 
fully and  forcibly  does  this  illustrate  God's  benevolence 
and  more  than  fatherly  care  over  us!  The  contemplation 
of  it  adds  confirmation  to  confirmation,  and  faith  to  faith — 
if  such  a  thing  be  possible — that  man's  greatest  ultimate 
good  is  perfectly  consistent  with  his  seemingly  lowly  and 
apparently  unfortunate  condition  here,  moral  and  physical. 
It  is  an  unmistakable  evidence  that  God's  consummate 
wisdom  can  bring  beauty  out  of  seeming  uncomeliness, 
and  clear  up  and  disperse  all  the  apparent  gloom  and 
imperfection,  in  His  infinite  perfection  and  brightness. 

In  the  present  world,  man — so  far  as  his  body  is  con- 
cerned— is  subject  to  casualty  and  the  destructive  powers 
of  nature,  equally,  with  the  lower  animals.  But  as  this 
life  is  only  the  beginning  of  an  existence  that  will  never 
end,  and  is  under  the  Divine  guidance,  one  can  but  have 
faith  that  it  matters  little  at  what  period  of  time  the 


MAN'S  INDIVIDUALITY  HEREAFTER.  109 

transit,  to  the  higher  life,  takes  place.  If  it  were  impor- 
tant, life  would  not  have  been  subject  to  the  numerous 
contingencies  that  now  beset  it.  And  yet  the  teaching 
of  God  through  our  instincts,  is  to  cling  to  life  while  we 
may,  leaving  the  time  of  our  departure  to  casualties 
beyond  our  control.  In  reflecting  upon  this,  how  com- 
forting is  it  to  know  that  we  are  the  objects  of  God's 
goodness  and  care.  We  see  but  the  threshold  of  our 
destined  existence.  We  have  but  to  strive  unceasingly, 
and  never  to  weary  in  well-doing,  confidently  leaving  the 
issue  to  God. 

But  this  subject  of  our  existence  here  and  hereafter, 
and  of  the  connection  between  the  two  periods,  may  well 
bear  to  be  further  contemplated.  This  life,  then,  and  this 
earth  are  but  the  time  and  place,  the  when  and  where, 
each  human  soul  embarks  for  eternity.  The  longest  life 
is  but  as  a  moment  of  time,  in  comparison  with  the  soul's 
duration.  The  earth  is  but  the  stage  whereon  each 
human  soul,  among  the  myriads  that  are  launched  into 
eternity,  is  moulded,  and — like  the  person — individually 
endowed  with  an  identity  peculiar  to  itself  and  resembling 
none  other  precisely.  The  belief  that  our  individuality 
and  identity  in  this  world  shall  be  preserved  to  us  in  the 
world  to  come — that  we  shall  connect  the  consciousness  of 
ourselves  beyond  the  grave  with  that  of  ourselves  here, 
and  be  so  recognizable  by  others — is  corroborated  by  a 
fact  in  our  human  experience,  that  cannot  be  gainsayed. 
Millions  upon  millions  of  inhabitants  come  and  go  upon 
the  face  of  the  earth ;  and  yet  no  two  among  them  bear 
such  close  resemblance  as  to  prevent  intimate  acquaint- 
ances singling  them  out  from  all  others.  And  as  with 
the  body,  so  with  the  soul.  We,  none  of  us  have,  an 
exact  spiritual  counterpart — a  fact  that  is  obvious  to  all 


HO  ONE   RELIGION:  MANY  CREEDS. 

students  of  the  inner  man,  though  not  palpable  at  a 
moment's  glance,  as  is  the  corporeal  divergence.  Now 
this  being  the  case — the  extreme  difference  between  the 
most  dissimilar  persons  being  so  small  that  they  may  be 
classed  as  a  whole,  and  yet  so  distinctly  marked  that 
each  stands  out  as  it  were  alone — is  it  possible  not  to  see 
herein  a  purposed  design  of  God?  And  to  what  purpose 
can  this  point,  more  rational  and  more  in  accordance  with 
His  perfect  plans,  than  that  the  probation,  intended  to 
lead  man  Heavenward,  and  barely  dawning  here  on  the 
longest-lived,  shall  continue  when  we  go  hence,  through 
what  is  our  morning,  up  to  the  splendor  of  an  everlasting 
day?  The  more  we  contemplate  God's  wisdom  and  the 
harmonious  workings  of  his  systems,  the  more  are  we 
confirmed  in  this  view?  It  is  at  least  more  probable  that 
God  will  give  the  being,  whom  He  himself  created,  an 
opportunity  of  learning  to  comprehend  His  mysteries,  and 
of  rendering  Him  homage,  than  that,  after  a  mere  com- 
parative spasm  of  existence,  man  is  at  once  promoted  to  a 
region  of  eternal  bliss,  or  plunged  into  everlasting  tor- 
ment. That  this  cannot  be  so,  and  be  consistent  with 
God's  justice,  is  the  more  manifest,  when  we  remember 
that  a  large  portion  of  the  human  race  have  their  sojourn 
upon  earth  curtailed — by  causes  beyond  their  own  con- 
trol— to  the  hundredth  part  of  that  of  others,  and  that 
surrounding  circumstances  must  often  alone  determine 
man's  progress  towards  the  Heaven  or  the  hell,  which  the 
theologians  flaunt  before  him.  We  know  that  these  same 
churchmen  have  great  difficulty  in  reconciling  this,  their 
peculiar  phase  of  God's  character,  with  the  other  attri- 
butes wherein  they  clothe  Him.  The  true  solution  of 
this  whole  difficulty  is  to  clear  away  church  theology  and 
substitute  in  its  place  a  wholesome  belief  that  God  has 


LIMITED 'FREE  AGENCY. 

assigned  eternity  for  the  endless  education  and  the  mode 
and  manner  of  it  is  of  God's  ordaining,  who  shall  doubt 
its  bringing  all  men  to  supreme  bliss  in  God's  good  time  ? 

Since  no  man  can  be  wise,  as  God  is  wise,  and  since 
neither  human  reason,  nor  experience, -can  supply  the 
deficiency,  in  working  out  his  destiny  under  his  free 
agency,  instinct  makes  up  for  what  he  lacks  in  other 
respects.  But  since  man,  as  now  constituted  and  endowed, 
is  always  liable  to  deviate  from  right,  and  so  bring  more 
or  less  mental  or  bodily  pain  upon  himself  and  others, 
some  might  say,  why  not  have  prevented  the  possibility 
of  evil — if  evil  it  be — by  giving  man  such  instincts  as 
would  have  made  it  entirely  unnecessary  that  he  should 
be  constituted  a  free  and  consequently  an  accountable 
agent?  But  will  any  one  say  that  he  would  have  pre- 
ferred this?  Would  he  not  rather  say:  "The  present 
system  of  limited  agency  is  far  more  satisfactory  to  me? 
To  have  no  control  over  my  destiny  annihilates  my  indi- 
viduality. Rather  let  me  have  the  responsibility  which 
attaches  to  free  agency,  than  the  degradation  which  is 
involved  in  not  having  any  share  in  shaping  out  rny  pre- 
sent life  and  future  destiny.  Rather  let  me,  under  the 
influence  of  volition  and  by  actions  that  are  my  own, 
enter  into  the  joys,  sympathies,  and  griefs  of  life  as  it  is. 
This  best  satisfies  my  nature,  and  the  cravings  of  my 
spirit.  Let  me  be  loved,  because  of  the  peculiarity  and 
personality  which  is  the  result  of  my  own  volition  and 
acts;,  and  let  me  lovo  those  whom  I  may  love,  because 
they  have  had  a  share  in  the  making  up  of  their  own 
peculiar  personality.  In  this  is  the  crowning  joy  of  life." 

May  not  the  crowning  joys  of  Eternity  be  considered 
in  a  somewhat  similar  light  ?  May  not  influences  in  a 
measure  akin  to  this,  ultimately  prevail  in  perfecting 


112  ONE  RELIGION:  MANY  CREEDS. 

man's  love  of  his  Maker?  Intuition — as  we  have  fre- 
quent occasion  to  remark — renders  it  imperative  that 
man  should  acknowledge  a  God  above  him.  So  £ar,  there 
is  no  exercise  of  free-will.  It  is  only  an  acquaintance 
with  God's  works  and  an  insight  into  His  dealings  with 
man,  that  can  convert  this  knowledge  into  reverence. 
Herein,  the  free-will  is  partially  exercised.  But  it  is  only 
a  thorough  appreciation  of  God's  infinite  loveliness,  that 
can  impart  full  impulse  to  volition,  and  transform  this 
reverence  into  love  that  is  worthy  of  its  object.  Nature 
endues  a  mother  with  affection  for  the  child  born  of  her — 
unattractive,  ugly,  peevish,  troublesome  though  it  be. 
This  is  instinct.  How  much  more  intense  is  her  attach- 
ment, if  the  little  being  be  supremely  fair  and  gifted  with 
every  infantile  grace  ?  This  is  love.  So  it  may  be  with 
man  hereafter,  when,  in  another  stage  of  his  existence, 
the  marvellous  beauty  of  God's  character  and  attributes 
are  gradually  revealed  to  him.  We  believe,  indeed,  that 
God  has  predetermined  to  make  His  self-constituted  and 
self-sustained  perfection  apparent  to  all  men. 

We  believe  that  every  man  will  eventually  love  Him, 
and  strive  more  and  more  to  serve  Him — not  alone  from 
those  spontaneous  movements  within,  that  impose  no 
restraint  on  his  own  free  agency,  but  also  from  these 
emotions  that  emanate  from  his  own  free-will. 

The  instincts  of  man,  which  have  reference  to  his 
spiritual  or  divine  nature,  are  the  primary  foundation  of 
man's  religion.  The  office  of  the  reasoning  faculties  is 
distinct  from  that  of  the  instincts.  The  instincts  are 
more  necessary,  because  they  are  ever  shedding  upon  our 
onward  path  a  light  indispensable  to  us,  in  groping  our 
way  through  this  chequered  scene.  They  are  the  inex- 
haustible fountain,  whence  is  drawn  every  noble  purpose, 


GOD'S  LAWS  UNCHANGEABLE.  H3 

every  incentive  to  good,  kind,  and  generous  deeds.  Man, 
as  a  free  agent,  acting  under  and  by  force  of  his  reason 
and  all  his  faculties,  other  than  instinct,  would  stumble, 
fall,  and  utterly  fail  in  his  progress  through  life;  but  as 
it  is,  he  has  ever  with  him  a  safe  pilot — a  guardian  angel, 
as  it  were,  guided  by  a  higher  mind  than  his  own.  There 
are  certain  duties  that  God  has  assigned  to  man  during 
his  stewardship  here,  the  proper  performance  of  which  is 
too  important  and  too  difficult  of  understanding  to  be 
entrusted  to  man's  reasoning  faculties  alone,  even  when 
of  the  highest  order  and  fully  matured,  much  less  when 
the  reverse  is  the  case.  Instinct  is  indispensable  to  the 
welfare  both  of  the  body  and  soul.  It  is  given  by  God 
to  ensure  that,  while  man  is  to  a  certain  extent  entrusted 
with  working  out  his  own  destiny,  God's  benevolent  pur- 
pose towards  him  shall  ultimately  prevail.  And  while 
there  is,  judging  from  observation  here,  a  vast  difference 
in  the  endowment  of  individuals,  in  relation  to  all  those 
faculties  of  the  mind  which  are  subject  to  cultivation  and 
improvement,  there  is  little  or  no  difference  in  relation  to 
instinct — the  office  of  which  is  so  important,  that  all 
God's  living  creatures  have  it,  in  ample  strength  and  in 
ample  time.  This  is  not  the  case  with  those  other  facul- 
ties called  mental.  These  are  developed,  in  process  of 
time,  according  to  our  advantages,  by  observation,  by 
experience,  by  comparison,  and  by  study.  This  being 
so,  the  improvement  of  them  exhibits  itself  at  different 
periods  and  in  different  degrees,  in  different  individuals. 
This  is  manifest  to  all  men.  We  all  recognize  it  in  this 
life,  however  it  may  be  in  the  next. 

Does  God  govern  mankind  entirely  by  laws  established 
at  the  first — co-eval  with  the  creation  of  man ;  or  has  he 
subsequently,  and  from  time  to  time,  enacted  and  made 
8 


114  ONE  RELIGION:  MANY  CREEDS. 

operative  new  laws  to  meet  unforeseen  contingencies?  Is 
God  moved  from  day  to  day  and  from  hour  to  hour  by 
prayeY,  or  otherwise,  to  reverse  or  modify  his  general 
laws  for  the  government  of  men,  by  means  of  what  are 
termed  special  providences  ?  If  men  are  to  be  held 
accountable  for  the  breach  of  God's  law,  justice  demands 
that  the  law  should  be  stable  and  sure,  not  vacillating  or 
shifting,  the  same  deed  being  right  to-day,  and  wrong 
to-morrow,  and  vice  versa/  otherwise,  man  is  without  a 
reliable  rule  of  conduct,  and  his  never  varying  instinct 
and  innate  perception  of  right  and  wrong  have  no  parallel 
in  the  laws  of  God,  no  immovable  standard  of  moral  right 
by  which  he  can  constantly  direct  his  course. 

Now,  plain  and  undeniable  as  seem  the  conclusions 
here  suggested,  they  are  directly  in  the  face  of  those  of 
Christian  theology  ;  they  cannot  both  be  true ;  and  if  the 
Christian  theology  be  true,  then  God — contrary  to  Bible 
phraseology — is  a  being  of  change ;  and  this  makes  the 
inference  irresistible,  that  He  was  not  equal  to  adjusting 
all  things  aright  from  the  first,  but  only  after  trial,  obser- 
vation, and  second  thought.  If  this  view  of  God  is  to  be 
taken  as  glorifying  and  worshipping  Him,  we  not  only 
fail  to  perceive  that  such  is  the  fact,  but  deem  such  view 
most  irreverent. 

With  a  view  to  bringing  the  light  to  be  derived  from 
history  to  bear  on  the  question,  as  to  whether  God's 
government  was  perfect  from  the  first,  or  required  subse- 
quent radical  amendments  and  a  never  ending  round  of 
adjustments  called  special  providences,  by  way  of  testing 
the  rationale  of  what  is  termed  supernatural  revelation, 
we  will  state  a  supposed  example.  Let  us  say  that  five 
persons  have  appeared  upon  the  earth  at  various  periods, 
but  all  after  many  generations  of  men  had  lived  and  died 


SUPPOSED  SAVIOURS.  115 

thereon.  Each  of  these  persons  claimed  to  be  entrusted 
by  God  with  a  message  of  vital  importance  .to  every 
member  of  the  human  family;  the  character  and  import 
of  which  had  never  before  been  made  known  to  man. 
The  pretended  new  communication  from  God  was  to  the 
effect,  that  every  individual  must  have  an  unwavering 
belief  that  a  certain  person,  who  was  then,  or  had  been, 
or  was  to  come,  upon  the  earth,  was  the  only  medium 
through  which  men  could  be  saved ;  that  all  who  had 
this  faith  would  receive  eternal  happiness,  and  all  who 
had  it  not,  eternal  damnation.  Up  to  this  point,  each  of 
these  five  persons  delivered  similar  messages ;  but  here 
they  diverged.  Each  now  personally,  or  by  followers, 
was  declared  to  be  the  one  designated  by  God  as  he  to 
whom  the  faith  in  question  must  be  given  in  order  to 
obtain  salvation.  Suppose  that  these  five  messengers 
were  named  respectively,  Christ,  Zoroaster,  Buddha, 
Godama,  and  Mohammed,  each  claiming  to  be  the  only 
Saviour  of  mankind. 

Now  this  supposed  case  furnishes  substantially  the 
facts  that  have  actually  taken  place  among  men ;  and 
the  result  is  that  faith,  more  or  less  strong,  has  been 
divided  between  the  several  persons  named  as  Saviours. 
The  number  professing  faith  in  Jesus — or  living  in  so- 
called  Christian  countries — comprises  about  one-third  of 
the  inhabitants  of  the  globe.  This  being  the  case,  is 
there  any  tenable  reason  why  the  Christian  theology 
should  be  held  right,  and  all  the  others  wrong?  "We 
deem  them  all  alike  fallacious.  God  sends  his  laws  for 
the  government  of  mankind  into  the  world,  by  each  and 
every  inhabitant  thereof — each  being  his  own  messenger ; 
and  as  the  law  enjoined  by  this  message  is  of  the  same 


116  ONE  RELIGION:   MANY  CREEDS. 

import  at  all  times  ^and  in  all  places,  this  message 
demands  our  faith  in  preference  to  any  other. 

Again:  if  a  man  claims  that  he  was  the  h'rst  person  to 
whom  God  made  known  a  new  law,  to  be  added  to  His 
former  laws  for  the  government  of  mankind — which  had 
answered  their  purpose  for  generation  after  generation  of 
men,  but  which  now  required  amendment  and  addition — 
we  cannot  credit  him.  We  have  unbounded  and  unex- 
tinguishable  faith,  that  God  is  perfect  and  unchangeable, 
and  that  His  laws  to  govern  man  must  have  been  perfect 
and  all-sufficient  from  the  first.  We  cannot  put  faith  in 
any  one  who  pretends  that  God  added  to  His  original 
code,  a  vital  and  imperative  law  for  man's  government, 
long  after  many  men  had  lived  and  died.  None,  we  say, 
who  hold  that  God  is  perfect  and  unchangeable,  can  pos- 
sibly credit  such  a  story;  neither  can  they  reconcile  it  to 
their  views,  that  God,  who  makes  sure  that  all  his  ways 
are  perfect,  should  confide  to  a  single  individual  an  all- 
important  message  intended  for  the  benefit  of  each  one  of 
the  human  race. 

To  those  whose  conception  of  God  is  no  higher  than 
one  involving  additional  enactments,  alterations,  and  espe- 
cial providences,  as  unforeseen  occasions  may  require  for 
the  government  of  the  world,  another  difficulty  presents 
itself.  If,  according  to  their  theory,  it  becomes  necessary 
for  God  to  bring  forward  through  the  especial  messenger, 
for  the  regulation  of  man's  relations  with  his  Maker;  and 
if  two  persons  appear  simultaneously,  each  claiming  to 
be  from  God;  both  giving  contradictory  versions  of  the 
claimed  will  of  God — how,  under  these  circumstances,  are 
the  advocates  for  the  supernatural  to  determine  which  is 
the  true  and  which  the  lying  messenger?  The  Bible 
itself,  will  not  certainly  give  them  much  aid  in  distin- 


SUPPOSED  SAVIOURS.  117 

guishing  the  false  from  the  true,  if  we  may  judge  by  its 
many  warnings.  Ahab  consulted  four  hundred  prophets; 
they  were  all  impostors,  with  the  exception  of  Micaiah. 
"The  prophets,"  saith.  the  Lord  to  Jeremiah,  "prophesy 
lies  in  my  name ;  I  sent  them  not,  neither  have  I  com- 
manded them  ;  neither  spake  I  unto  them  :  they  prophesy 
unto  you  a  false  vision  and  divination,  and  a  thing  of 
nought,  and  the  deceit  of  their  heart;"  and  elsewhere, 
"  Thus  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts,  hearken  not  unto  the 
words  of  the  prophets  that  prophesy  unto  you;  they  make 
you  vain  ;  they  speak  a  vision  of  their  own  heart,  and 
not  out  of  the  mouth  of  the  Lord."  Jesus,  himself,  did 
not  implicitly  rely  upon  his  own  universal  recognition. 
"  Then,"  said  he,  "if  any  man  shall  say  unto  you,  Lo,  here 
is  Christ,  or  there,  believe  it  not.  For  there  shall  arise 
false  Christs  and  false  prophets,  and  shall  shew  great 
signs  and  wonders  ;  insomuch  that,  if  it  were  possible 
they  shall  deceive  the  very  elect." 

Christian  theology  then,  has  no  other  foundation  than 
the  conflicting  claims  of  numerous  prophets  and  miracle- 
workers  ;  a  majority  of  whom,  according  to  Bible  narra- 
tive, are  false.  We  fail  to  perceive  that  any  one  of  them 
has  more  claims  to  be  credited  than  another;  and  must 
consequently  conclude  that  they  are  all  alike  incredible. 

Saying  we  believe  in  Jesus,  is  unintelligible,  unless  we 
specify  the  nature  of  our  belief,  inasmuch  as  various 
descriptions  of  belief  have  been  connected  with  the 
name  of  Jesus.  During  the  few  years  of  his  public 
career,  he  assumed  three  distinct  positions  before  the 
world,  while,  during  the  first  half  century  after  his  death, 
yet  another  and  totally  distinct  position  was  assigned  to 
him. 


118  ONE  RELIGION:  MANY  CREEDS. 

Belief  in  Jesus,  has  therefore,  been  construed  to  sig- 
nify— in  the  first  place,  that  he  was  a  teacher  of  the  way 
to  the  inheritance  of  eternal  life ;  secondly,  that  he  was 
the  Messiah,  the  person  designated  by  the  prophets,  to 
rule  over  the  Jews  forever  on  earth  ;  thirdly,  that  he  was 
destined  to  reign  forever  over  a  new  world — after  the 
destruction  of  the  old  one — to  be  inhabited  by  the 
righteous  only ;  fourthly  and  lastly,  that  he  is  co-equal 
with  God,  and  the  Saviour  of  all  men  who  entertain  this 
belief. 

Now  these  several  offices — three  of  which  were  assumed 
by  Jesus,  while  the  fourth  was  thrust  upon  him  after  his 
death — differed  so  essentially  from  each  other,  as  to 
render  it  absolutely  impossible  that  they  could  all  have 
been  fulfilled.  Passing  by  Jesus'  first  and  unobjectionable 
position — that  of  a  teacher  of  divine  truths,  or  in  other 
words,  of  natural  religion — we  ask,  how  could  he  reign 
everlastingly  as  King  of  the  Jews  on  the  earth  that  then 
was,  and  yet  reign  everlastingly  also  on  a  new  earth 
which  he  was  to  build  up  from  the  ashes  of  the  old  one  ? 
It  is  just  as  plain  that  Jesus  has  never  ruled  here  in  any 
Kingship  as  that  the  earth  never  has  been  destroyed 
according  to  his  prediction.  What  he  predicted  therefore, 
with  so  much  eloquent  earnestness,  is  both  impossible 
according  to  reason,  and  flatly  contradicted  by  facts. 
Adding  to  this  the  fourth  office  thrust  upon  Jesus,  the 
puzzle  is  complete.  Where  shall  we  turn  for  a  reliable 
guide  to  true  belief?  we  say  that  men  should  turn  to  the 
One  God,  Jehovah.  He  points  unmistakably  to  the  first 
and  only  religion,  which  Jesus  taught  with  signal  effect, 
and  which  embraced  his  true  mission,  and  the  only 
rational  portion  of  his  course. 


JESUS'  SECOND  COMING.  119 

All  the  early  followers  of  Jesus  clung  to  the  first  and 
third  of  the  beliefs  enumerated  above,  and  confidently 
looked  for  the  destruction  of  the  earth  that  was  to  be 
replaced  by  a  new  one,  and  for  Jesus'  second  coming  to 
rule  over  them  forever  thereupon.  They  clung  to  this 
belief  and  this  expectation,  up  to,  and  long  after  the  time 
predicted  by  Jesus  for  its  fulfilment.  In  fact,  the  expecta- 
tion of  a  coming  milleniurn,  so-called,  upon  earth,  over 
which  Jesus  is  to  rule  forever,  has  not  yet  entirely  died 
out.  The  belief  and  expectation,  no  doubt  originated  in 
the  declarations  of  Jesus  himself,  which  assumed  a  very 
definite  form,  as  he  drew  toward  the  close  of  his  career. 
"  For,"  said  he,  "  as  the  lightning  cometh  out  of  the  east, 
and  shineth  even  unto  the  west ;  so  shall  also  the  coming 
of  the  Son  of  man  be.  For  wheresoever  the  carcass  is, 
there  will  the  eagles  bo  gathered  together.  Immediately 
after  the  tribulation  of  those  days  shall  the  sun  be  dark- 
ened, and  the  indon  shall  not  give  her  light,  and  the  stars 
shall  fall  from  Heaven,  and  the  powers  of  the  heavens 
shall  be  shaken.  And  then  shall  appear  the  sign  of  the 
Son  of  man  in  Heaven  ;  and  then  shall  all  the  tribes  of 
the  earth  mourn,  and  they  shall  see  the  Son  of  man 
coming  in  the  clouds  of  Heaven  with  power  and  great 
glory.  And  he-  shall  send  his  angels  with  a  great  sound 
of  a  trumpet ;  and  they  shall  gather  together  his  elect 
from  the  four  winds,  from  one  end  of  Heaven  to  the  other. 
Now  learn  a  parable  of  the  fig-tree  :  When  his  branch  is 
yet  tender,  and  putteth  forth  leaves,  ye  know  that  sum- 
mer is  nigh.  So,  likewise,  ye,  when  ye  shall  see  all  these 
things,  know  that  it  is  near,  even  at  the  doors.  Verily, 
I  say  unto  you,  This  generation  shall  not  pass  till  all 
these  things  be  fulfilled.  Heaven  and  earth  shall  pass 
away,  but  my  words  shall  not  pass  away." 


120  ONE  RELIGION:  MANY  CREEDS. 

These  citations  embody  Jesus'  reply  to  the  question  of 
his  disciples:  "Tell  us,  when  shall  these  things  be? 
and  what  shall  be  the  sign  of  thy  coming,  and  of  the  end 
of  the  world."  Jesus,  moreover,  elsewhere  likened  his 
coming  Kingdom  of  Heaven,  to  a  net  which  is  made 
instrumental  in  dividing  the  godly  from  the  ungodly. 
Some  further  light  is  also  thrown  upon  the  literal  signifi- 
cation of  Jesus'  announcement,  by  Peter's  words,  in  his 
second  Epistle,  "  But  the  day  of  the  Lord  will  come  as  a 
thief  in  the  night ;  in  the  which  the  heavens  shall  pass 
away  with  a  great  noise,  and  the  elements  shall  melt  with 
fervent  heat ;  the  earth  also,  and  the  works  that  are 
therein  shall  be  burned  up.  *  *  *  Nevertheless,  we, 
according  to  his  promise,  look  for  new  heavens  and  a  new 
earth  wherein  dwelleth  righteousness." 

With  reference  to  the  expected  destruction  and  renova- 
tion of  the  earth,  Mr.  Lecky,  in  his  "  History  of  Euro- 
pean Morals"  has  a  comprehensive  foot  note:  "The 
belief,"  says  he,  "  that  the  world  was  just  about  to  end, 
was,  as  is  well  known,  very  general  among  the  early 
Christians,  and  greatly  affected  their  lives.  It  appears 
in  the  New  Testament,  and,  very  clearly,  in  the  epistle 
ascribed  to  Barnabas  in  the  first  century.  The  persecu- 
tions of  the  second  and  third  centuries  revived  it,  and 
both  Tertullian  and  Cyprian  strongly  assert  it.  With  the 
triumph  of  Christianity,  the  apprehension  for  a  time  sub- 
sided ;  but  it  reappeared  with  great  force  when  the  dis- 
solution of  the  empire  was  manifestly  impending,  when  it 
was  accomplished,  and  in  the  prolonged  anarchy  and  suf- 
fering that  ensued.  Gregory  of  Tours,  writing  in  the 
latter  part  of  the  sixth  century,  speaks  of  it  as  very 
prevalent;  and  St.  Gregory  the  Great,  about  the  same 
time,  constantly  expresses  it.  The  panic  that  filled 


MAN'S  CRAVING  FOR  TRUTH.  121 

Europe  at  the  end  of  the  tenth  century  has  been  often 
described.  The  fulfillment  of  these  predictions  of  Jesus 
and  his  disciples  in  relation  to  the  destruction  of  the 
world  by  fire,  like  those  in  respect  to  his  second  coming, 
has  been  so  long  delayed  beyond  the  expected  time,  that 
the  theologians  have  been  obliged  either  to  abandon  them, 
as  fallacious,  or  to  assign  to  them  a  meaning  totally 
different  from  the  obvious  and  originally  received  one, 
deduced  from  the  plain  meaning  of  words.  The  new 
world  is  still  to  be  created,  just  as  Jesus'  promised  throne 
of  David  remains  still  unoccupied. 

The  great  craving  of  man's  spirit  is  for  the  discovery  of 
truth.  To  gain  an  insight  into  the  mysteries  of  the  uni- 
verse, gives  other  and  higher  delight,  than  merely  to 
admire  its  beauties.  The  first  faint  symptoms  of  this 
passion — for  such  it  is — are  exhibited  in  early  childhood. 
The  inquisitive  boy  either  cuts  the  bellows,  to  see  where 
the  wind  comes  from^  or  takes  a  watch  to  pieces,  to  find 
what  makes  it  tick.  During  adolescence  and  maturity, 
the  zest  for  knowledge  increases  in  intensity  with  the  dis- 
covery of  each  new  truth  ;  and  as  truths  are  ascertained, 
and  multiply,  and  their  wonderful  harmony  with  each 
other,  is  observed,  the  dawning  of  light  within  the  soul 
gains  strength  and  becomes  more  luminous. 

The  poetical  part  of  man's  nature  has  its  foundation  in 
truth  and  harmony — the  great  characteristics  of  God. 
The  poetic  instinct  is  the  legitimate  offspring  of  the  intui- 
tions that  apply  to  man's  higher  nature  and  destiny ;  and 
these  in  conjunction  with  his"  other  faculties,  form  the 
ladder,  as  it  were,  upon  which  he  ascends  heavenward. 
When  the  spirit  soars  into  the  higher  regions  of  imagina- 
tion, under  the  excitement  of  a  sense  of  the  beautiful, 
harmonious,  and  truthful,  it  is  but  God's  mode  of  giving 


122  ONE  RELIGION:  MANY  CREEDS. 

man  a  ray  of  that  sublime  light,  which  shines  brighter 
and  brighter  as  he  presses  forward  in  the  right  direction — 
an  indication  that  the  soul  is  capable  of  a  more  exalted 
state  of  existence  and  happiness  than  it  has  yet  realized, 
or  than  the  things  of  this  earth  can  reveal.  It  is  the 
whispering  of  God,  to  allure  man  to  the  sure  path  that 
leads  to  his  more  congenial  abode — to  his  true  destiny. 
This  perception  and  natural  leaning,  by  and  through  our 
instincts,  to  the  well-being  and  happiness  of  ourselves 
and  our  species,  is  analogous  to  that  which  incites  the 
bird  of  passage  to  mount  upon  its  wings,  and  speed  its 
way  from  colder  regions  to  the  warmer  climes  of  the 
South,  there  to  pass  the  winter  season,  and  then  again  to 
return  to  the  North,  the  better  to  rear  its  young.  The 
still,  small  voice,  that  charms  the  bird  hither  and  thither, 
communicates  not  an  idle  tale;  it  is  truth,  big  with 
utility,  involving  life  and  death.  The  bird  that  pours 
forth  its  tuneful  strains,  perched  upon  the  tree-top,  sings 
not  in  vain ;  in  Nature's  good  time,  his  mate,  the  harbin- 
ger of  love  and  gladness,  and  fruitfulness,  will  come,  and 
God's  all-wise  and  benevolent  purposes  will  be  answered. 
And  so  of  that  chant  of  love  which  Nature  causes  to 
vibrate  in  the  virgin  and  unwedded  heart.  It  is  but  the 
budding  of  the  highest  bliss,  that  earth  has  in  store  for 
humanity.  It  is  God's  mode  of  making  his  children  sub- 
servient to  the  accomplishment  of  his  great  ends.  All 
Nature  is  full  of  melody,  to  those  who  know  how  to  listen. 
Music,  sometimes  the  more  enchanting  for  being  dimly 
audible,  is  ever  attuning  tne  emotional  soul  to  the  lovely 
and  the  sublime,  and  training  it  to  a  higher  and  higher 
estate.  Unwritten  poetry,  we  say,  pervades  all  nature. 
Man  is  attuned  to  its  harmony  and  its  inspiration.  The 
infinite  fancies  and  fond  imaginings  of  man  are  not  with- 


YEARNINGS  OF  THE  HUMAN  SOUL.  123 

out  an  actually  existing  object,  either  here  or  elsewhere ; 
neither  are  they  without  utility.  They  contribute,  immea- 
surably to  the  charms  of  life.  They  foster  hope,  that 
blessed  boon  to  man.  They  stimulate  to  nobler  deeds,  and 
lead  to  loftier  aspirations.  Fiction  and  poetry,  which 
transport  and  thrill  the  soul  in  books  do  but  portray  some 
truth  or  truths  recognized  already  as  existing  in  nature. 
If  not,  the  spirit  heedeth  not ;  the  charm  is  wanting,  and 
the  springs  of  life  go  still  unquickened.  Poetry  may,  not 
inaptly,  be  likened  to  the  flowers  that  contain  the 
embryo  of  luscious  fruit,  and  that  are  all  the  sweeter  and 
more  attractive  because  they  promise  "something  more 
valuable  than  the  present  sense  enjoys.  Not  that  the 
flowers  themselves  are  without  real  utility.  By  their 
fragrance  and  beauty,  they  furnish  a  feast  to  some  of  the 
organs  of  man,  no  less  than  does  the  fruit  to  others. 
There  is  no  quality  or  organ  of  man's  nature,  either  of 
body  or  mind,  that  is  devoid  of  utility.  No  such  anom- 
aly can  emanate  from  the  Deity.  Man's  body,  it  is  true, 
cannot  subsist  on  music,  but  it  furnishes  a  rich  feast  to 
his  higher  being.  It  can,  and  does,  feed  that  part  of  his 
nature,  wherewith  he  is  enabled  to  appreciate  and  enjoy 
the  harmony  of  God's  works.  As  truth  after  truth  is 
added  to  the  store  of  man's  knowledge  in  relation  to  God 
and  his  works,  the  more  and  deeper  is  he  impressed  with 
the  glory  of  the  author  of  the  universe  and  the  wonderful 
harmony  and  accord  of  all  created  things. 

This  advance  in  knowledge,  and  appreciation  of  God's 
greatness  and  goodness,  we  deem,  will  be  without  end. 
The  lower  animals,  and  the  physical  part  of  man's  being, 
find  the  means  of  satisfying  their  wants  and.  cravings  in 
things  pertaining  to  earth.  Not  so  with  the  human  soul ; 
it  has  longings  not  satisfied  in  this  life,  qualities  and 


124  ONE  RELIGION:  MANY  CREEDS. 

powers  for  the  enjoyment  of  a  nobler  and  higher  existence, 
vhich  find  not  the  means  of  their  realization  here.  There 
is  nothing  waste  and  nothing  meaningless  in  the  feelings 
and  faculties,  wherewith  living  creatures  are  endowed. 
For  each  desire  there  is  a  corresponding  object ;  for  each 
faculty  there  is  room  and  opportunity  for  exercise,  either 
in  the  present  life  or  in  futurity.  But  for  the  immortality 
of  the  soul,  man's  endowments  would  not  be  in  harmony 
with  his  destiny.  He  would  be  an  exception  to  God's 
universal  order  and  fullness  of  all  things — an  anomaly  in 
nature  irreconcilable  with  the  known  and  only  con- 
ceivable attributes  and  ways  of  God. 

It  is  evident  from  the  wide-spread  and  extensive  practice 
of  using  idols  in  devotional  service,  that  it  proceeds  from 
some  strong,  legitimate  trait  in  human  nature.  All  the 
prominent  errors  of  man  so  proceed.  Among  the  power- 
ful propensities  which  God  has  given  to  man  is  a  restless 
desire  to  search  after,  and  penetrate  into,  the  wonderful 
mysteries  of  the  spiritual  and  physical- universe.  But  for 
this  thirst  for,  and  advancement  in,  and  acquaintance 
with  the  knowledge  and  ways  of  God,  man  would  fail  to 
prepare  himself  for  his  future  destiny  as  God  intended  he 
should.  Man,  in  his  eagerness  to  see  God,  climbs  the 
tree,  as  did  Zaccheus,  or  builds  a  tower  as  did  Nimrod. 
In  primitive  times  the  lowly  in  intellect  and  culture 
endeavored  to  portray  God,  the  incomprehensible,  by  the 
help  of  tangible  things  ;  and  having  singled  out  a  figure 
or  symbol,  availed  themselves  of  it  as  giving  some  idea 
of  God.  They,  then,  through  such  a  symbol,  poured  out 
their  spontaneous  adoration  to  that  mysterious  Being, 
whose  wisdom,  through  His  works,  they  saw  pervading 
all  things,  yet  not  otherwise  visible  to  the  physical 
eye.  God,  however,  designed  man  for  development  and 


THE  TRINITY.  125 

advancement,  as  he  did  the  child  in  his  progress  from 
infancy  to  manhood.  The  appliances  and  helps  suited  to 
these  ends,  for  one  age  and  stage  of  growth,  are  unsuited 
to  a  more  advanced  one.  The  present  state  of  knowledge, 
cultivation,  and  intellectual  development  in  all  civilized 
nations  is  such,  that  man  should  now  allow  nothing  to 
stand  in  the  way  between  his  own  spiritual  eye  and  the 
great  Spirit  which  fills  the  universe. 

There  is  no  room  or  occasion  for  a  second  or  third  per- 
son in  the  Godhead.  The  Spirit  of  God  pervades  the  uni- 
verse. It  is  an  Infinite  Mind,  and  must,  of  necessity,  be 
a  unit.  What  God  wills  to  do,  and  what  God  executes,  is 
without  effort.  No  other  idea  is  consistent  with  Infinity. 
The  utility  or  possibility  of  there  being  two  or  three 
co-equal  infinite  Gods  is  as  incomprehensible  to  man,  as 
that  there  can  be  two  or  three  infinite  divisions  of  space  ; 
or  that  there  can  be  two  or  three  independent  existences 
of  time.  Yet,  two,  and  even  three,  co-equal  Gods  are 
claimed  as  the  Roek  on  which  the  Christian  Church  is 
founded.  This  is  idolatry. 

The  Christian  Church  claims,  too,  the  infallibility  of 
the  Bible,  notwithstanding  irrefutable  evidence  to  the 
contrary,  and  thereby  again  sets  up  an  idol.  The  wor- 
ship of  Jesus  and  the  Virgin  Mary  is  as  much  idolatry  as 
is  the  worship  of  the  sun,  the  moon,  the  stars,  and  other 
objects,  worshipped  by  what  are  called  idolatrous  nations. 
They  who  worship  God  through  these  material  objects, 
which  are  symbolical  of  the  true  light  emanating  from 
Him  who  is  infinite,  and  ineffable  light  itself,  are  much 
more  excusable,  in  view  of  the  greater  intelligence  claimed 
by  Christians  in  these  later  times. 

The  various  trains  of  thought  and  reasoning  which  lead 
men  from  a  consideration  of  the  natural  world  to  a  con  vie- 


126  ONE  RELIGION:  MANY  CREEDS. 

tion  of  the  existence,  tlie  power,  the  providence  of  God, 
do  not  require,  for  the  most  part,  any  long  or  labored 
deduction,  to  give  them  their  effect  on  the  mind.  The 
notion  of  such  supremacy  is  universal  and  innate.  In 
many  nations,  in  many  periods,  this  persuasion  has  been 
mixed  up  with  much  that  was  erroneous  and  perverse. 
But  the  opinions  of  the  intellect  or  the  fictions  of  the 
fancy,  do  not  weaken  the  force  of  such  conviction.  The 
belief  of  a  supreme  and  presiding  power  runs  through  all 
these  errors ;  and  while  the  perversions  are  manifestly 
the  work  of  caprice  and  allusion,  and  vanish  at  the  first 
ray  of  sober  enquiry,  the  belief  itself  is  substantial  and 
consistent,  and  grows  in  strength  upon  every  new  exami- 
nation. It  is  an  assurance  that  the  mere  existence  of  a 
law,  connecting  and  governing  any  class  of  phenomena, 
implies  a  presiding  intelligence,  which  has  preconceived 
and  established  the  law.  We  cannot,  then,  represent  to 
ourselves  the  universe  governed  by  general  laws,  other- 
wise than  by  conceiving  an  intelligent  and  conscious 
Deity,  by  whom  any  such  laws  were  originally  contem- 
plated, established,  and  applied. 

The  impression  which  thus  arises,  of  design  and  inten- 
tion exercised  in  the  formation  of  the  world,  or  of  the 
reality  of  a  Prime  Cause,  "operates  on  men's  minds  so 
generally,  and  increases  so  constantly  on  every  additional 
examination  of  the  phenomena  of  the  universe,  that  we 
cannot  but  suppose  such  a  belief  to  have  a  deep  and  stable 
foundation.  Indeed,  science  shows  us,  far  more  clearly 
than  the  conceptions  of  every-day  reason,  at  what  an 
immeasurable  distance  we  are  from  any  faculty  of  con- 
ceiving how  the  universe,  material  and  moral,  is  the  work 
of  the  Deity.  But  with  regard  to  the  material  world, 
we  can  at  least  go  so  far  as  this ; — we  can  perceive  that 


GOD'S  LAWS.  127 

events  are  brought  about,  not  by  insulated  interpositions 
of  divine  power,  exerted  in  each  particular  case,  but  by 
the  establishment  of  general  laws.  This,  which  is  the 
view  of  the  universe,  proper  to  science,  whose  office  it  is  to 
search  out  these  laws,  is  also  the  view  which,  throughout 
this  work,  we  have  endeavored  to  keep  present  to  the 
mind  of  the  reader.-  We  have  attempted  to  show  that  it 
combines  itself  most  readily  and  harmoniously  with  the 
doctrines  of  Natural  Religion,  that  the  arguments  for 
those  doctrines  are  strengthened,  the  difficulties  which 
affect  them  removed,  by  keeping  it  steadily  before  us. 
We  conceive,  therefore,  that  the  religious  philosopher  will 
do  well  to  bear  this  conception  in  his  mind.  God  is  the 
author  and  governor  of  the  universe,  through  the  laws 
which  He  has  given  to  its  parts,  the  properties  which  He 
has  impressed  upon  its  constituent  elements:  these  laws 
and  properties  are,  as  we  have  already  said,  the  instru- 
ments with  which  He  works:  the  institution  of  such  laws, 
the  selection  of  the  quantities  which  they  involve,  their 
combination  and  application,  are  the  modes  in  which  He 
exerts  and  manifests  His  power,  His  wisdom,  and  His 
goodness:  through  these  attributes,  thus  exercised,  the 
Creator  of  all,  shapes,  moves,  sustains  and  guides  the 
visible  creation. 

How  strongly  then,  does  science  represent  God  to  us  as 
incomprehensible  !  His  attributes  as  unfathomable  !  His 
power,  His  wisdom,  His  goodness,  appear  in  each  of  the 
provinces  of  nature  which  are  thus  brought  before  us ; 
and  in  each,  the  more  we  study  them,  the  more  impres- 
sive, the  more  admirable  do  they  appear.  When,  then, 
we  find  these  qualities  manifested  in  each  of  so  many 
successive  ways,  and  each  manifestation  rising  above  the 
preceding  by  unknown  degrees,  and  through  a  progression 


128  ONE   RELIGION:  MANY  CREEDS. 

of  unknown  extent,  what  other  language  can  we  use  con- 
cerning such  attributes,  than  that  they  are  infinite  f 
What  mode  of  expression  can  the  most  cautious  phi- 
losophy suggest,  other  than  that  He,  whom  we  thus 
endeavor  to  approach,  is  infinitely  wise,  powerful,  and 
good? 

But  with  sense  and  consciousness,  the  history  of  living 
things  only  begins.  They  have  instincts,  affections,  pas- 
sions, will.  How  entirely  lost  and  bewildered  do  we  find 
ourselves,  when  we  endeavor  to  conceive  these  faculties 
communicated  by  means  of  general  laws !  Yet  they  are 
so  communicated  from  God,  and  of  such  laws  He  is  the 
law-giver.  At  what  an  immeasurable  interval  is  He  thus 
placed  above  everything  which  the  creation  of  the  inani- 
mate world  alone  would  imply ;  and  how  far  must  He 
transcend  all  ideas  founded  on  such  laws  as  we  find 
there !  But  we  have  still  to  go  further,  and  far  higher. 
The  world  of  reason  and  of  morality  is  a  part  of  the  same 
creation,  as  the  world  of  matter  and  of  sense.  The  will 
of  man  is  swayed  by  rational  motives ;  its  workings  are 
inevitably  compared  with  a  rule  of  action;  he  has  a  con- 
science which  speaks  of  right  and  wrong.  These  are 
laws  of  man's  nature  no  less  than  the  laws  of  his  material 
existence,  or  his  animal  impulses. 

All  the  laws  which  govern  the  moral  world  are  expres- 
sions of  the  thought  and  intentions  of  our  Supreme  Ruler 
in  relation  to  man.  All  the  contrivances  for  moral  no 
less  than  for  physical  good ;  for  the  peace  of  mind  and 
other  rewards  of  virtue,  for  the  elevation  and  purification 
of  individual  character ;  for  the  civilization  and  refinement 
of  States,  their  advancement  in  intellect  and  virtue ;  for 
the  diffusion  of  good  and  the  repression  of  evil ;  all  the 
blessings  that  wait  on  perseverance  and  energy  in  a  good 


MORAL  LAWS.  129 

cause ;    on  unquenchable  love  of  mankind,  and  uncon- 
querable devotedness  to  truth  ;  on  purity  and  self-denial ; 
on  faith,  hope,  and  charity ;  all  these  things  are  indica- 
tions of  the  will,  and  future  intentions  of  that  God  of 
whom  we  have  endeavored  to  track  the  footsteps  upon 
earth,  and  to  show  his  handiwork  in  the  heavens.     "This 
God  is  our  God,  for  ever  and  ever."    And  if,  in  endeavoring 
to  trace  the  plan  of  the  vast  labyrinth  of  laws  by  which 
the  universe   is   governed,   we  are    sometimes   lost   and 
bewildered,  and  can  scarcely,  or  not  at  all,  discern  the 
lines  by  which  sorrow,  and  vice,  and  injustice  from  man 
to  man,  fall  in  with  a  scheme  directed  to  the   strictest 
right  and  greatest  good,  we  yet  find  no  room  to  faint  or 
falter ;    knowing  that  these   are   the   darkest  and   most 
tangled  recesses  of  our  knowledge  ;  that  into  the.m  science 
has  as  yet  cast  no  ray  of  light;  that  in  them  reason  has 
as  yet  caught  sight  of  no  general  law  by  which  we  may 
securely  hold :  while,  in  those  regions  where  we  can  see 
clearly ;  where  science  has  thrown  her  strongest  illumina- 
tion upon  the  scheme  of  creation ;    where  we  have  had 
displayed  to  us  the  general  laws  which  give  rise  to  all 
the  multifarious  variety  of  particular  facts ;  we  find  all 
full  of  wisdom,  and  harmony,  and  beauty ;  and  all  this 
wise  selection  of  means,  this  harmonious  combination  of 
laws,  this  beautiful  symmetry  of  relations,  directed,  with 
no  exception   which   human   investigation   has   yet    dis- 
covered, to  the  preservation,  the  diffusion,  the  well-being 
of  those  living  things,  which,  though  of  their  nature  we 
know  so  little,  we  cannot  doubt  to  be  the  worthiest  objects 
of  the  Creator's  care.     We  find  if  we  never  experienced 
pain,  we  should  be  every  moment  injuring  ourselves  with- 
out perceiving  it.     Without  the  excitement  of  uneasiness, 
without  some   sensation  of  pain,  we  should  perform  no 
9 


130  ONE  RELIGION:  MANY  CREEDS. 

function  of  life,  should  never  communicate  it,  and  should 
have  none  of  its  pleasures.  Hunger,  which  compels  us 
to  take  our  required  nourishment,  is  the  commencement 
of  pain.  Ennui,  which  stimulates  us  to  exercise  and 
occupation,  is  a  pain.  Love  itself  is  a  longing  which 
becomes  painful  until  it  is  met  with  corresponding  attach- 
ment. In  a  word,  every  desire  is  a  want,  a  longing,  a 
beginning  of  pain.  Pain  is  therefore  the.  main-spring  of 
all  the  actions  of  animated  beings.  Inasmuch  as  want 
involves  pain,  and  since  all  our  pleasures  proceed  from 
the  gratification  of  our  legitimate  wants,  it  is  apparent 
that  God  can,  and  does  cause,  even  pain  and  want  to  pave 
the  way  to  man's  happiness  and  well-being. 

That  all  foreseeing  Power,  who  is  the  guardian  of  our 
infirmities,  has  supplied  to  human  weakness  what  human 
wants  required.  There  is  a  principle  in  our  mind,  which, 
to  us,  is  like  a  constant  protector.  It  may  slumber, 
indeed,  but  it  slumbers  only  at  seasons  when  its  vigilance 
would  be  useless.  It  awakes,  at  the  first  intimation  of 
danger  ;  and  it  becomes  more  watchful  and  vigorous,  in 
proportion  to  the  violence  of  the  attack  which  it  has  to 
dread. 

It  is  well  that  man  is  constituted  independently  of  his 
•own  will,  and  that  he  has  so  little  power  in  shaping  the 
•circumstances  amid  which  he  moves.  He  would  have 
needed  a  far  more  comprehensive  view  than  he  is  equal 
to,  both  of  what  is  best  for  men  in  a  community,  and  for 
man  as  an  individual,  had  he — a  creature  of  such  brief 
and  narrow  survey — been  left  with  the  fixing  either  of  his 
own  principles  of  action,  or  of  his  relation  with  the  exter- 
nal world.  That  constitutional  shame — that  quick  and 
trembling  delicacy — a  prompt  and  ever-present  guardian, 
appearing  as  it  does  in  very  early  childhood,  is  most 


CONSCIENCE.  131 

assuredly  not  the  result  of  our  anticipating  either  present 
or  distant  consequences.  Thus,  with  reference  to  our  ani- 
mal instincts,  to  which  we  have  already  alluded.  Other 
forces  than  those  of  human  prudence  and  human  principle 
seem  to  have  been  necessary  for  restraining  within  legiti- 
mate bounds  a  most  powerful  and  fascinating  incentive, 
which,  when  improperly  indulged,  is  deteriorating  to  the 
moral  character;  and  which,  when  once  permitted  to  lord 
it  over  the  habits,  so  often  terminates  in  the  cruel  disrup- 
tion of  families  and  the  irretrievable  ruin  and  disgrace  of 
the  offender.  It  is  not  by  any  prospective  calculation  of 
ours  that  natural  modesty  acts  herein  as  a  strong  precau- 
tionary check.  It  is  directly  implanted  by  One,  who  sees 
the  end  from  the  beginning,  and  has  made  it  available  to 
all  men  at  all  times  by  a  monitor  set  up  within  us.  Con- 
science, as  the  supreme  arbiter  of  all  our  actions,  superin- 
tends all  our  senses,  passions,  and  appetites,  and  judges 
how  far  each  of  them  is  either  to  be  indulged  or  restrained. 
When  conscience  prevails  over  the  other  principles  of  our 
nature,  then  every  man  is  led,  by  the  very  make  and 
mechanism  of  his  internal  economy,  to  feel  that  this  is 
as  it  ought  to  be ;  or  if  these  others  prevail  over  con- 
science, that  this  is  not  as  it  ought  to  be.  The  object  of 
conscience  is  the  subordination  of  the  whole  inner  man  to 
its  dictates,  and  its  proper,  its  legitimate  business,  is  to 
prescribe  what  man  shall  be  and  what  he  shall  do. 

Righteousness,  it  is  felt,  would  not  have  been  so  en- 
throned in  the  moral  system  of  man,  had  it  not  been 
previously  enthroned  in  the  system  of  the  universe.  This 
is  not  a  local  or  geographical  notion.  It  is  not,  therefore, 
the  peculiarity  of  one  creed,  or  of  one  country.  It  circu- 
lates at  large  throughout  the  family  of  man.  We  can 
trace  it  in  the  religion  of  savage  life  where  theology  has 


132  ONE  RELIGION:   MANY  CREEDS. 

not  found  its  way  ;  it  mantains  its  authority  over  the 
artificial  theology  of  a  more  complex  and  idolatrous  pagan- 
ism. Neither  crime  nor  civilization  can  extinguish  it ;  and 
whether  we  find  it  in  the  fierce  and  frenzied  Cataline,  or 
in  the  tranquil  contemplative  musings  of  Socrates  and 
Cicero,  we  find  the  impression  of  at  once  a  righteous  and 
a  reigning  sovereign. 

The  law  of  conscience  may  be  regarded  as  compris- 
ing all  those  virtues  which  the  hand  of  the  Deity  has 
inscribed  on  the  tablet  of  the  human  heart ;  and  it  is  an 
argument,  for  these  being  the  very  virtues  which  charac- 
terize and  adorn  Himself,  that  they  must  have  been  trans- 
cribed from  the  prior  tablet  of  His  own  nature. 

Conscience  speaks  the  same  language,  and  owns  one 
and  the  same  moral  directory  all  the  world  over.  True  to 
her  office  she  gives  forth  the  same  lessons,  in  all  the  coun- 
tries of  the  earth.  Let  the  mists  of  passion  and  artificial 
education  be  only  cleared  away  ;  and  the  moral  attributes 
of  goodness  and  righteousness  and  truth  will  be  seen 
undistorted,  and  in  their  own  proper  guise — and  there  is 
not  a  heart  or  a  conscience  throughout  earth's  teeming 

o  o 

population,  which  could  refuse  to  do  them  homage.  In 
spite  of  the  occasional  diversity  of  moral  judgments  which 
are  vastly  less  wide  and  numerous  than  is  generally  sup- 
posed, there  is  a  fixed  standard  of  morals,  to  the  greater 
principles  of  which,  a  full  and  unanimous  homage  is  ren- 
dered from  every  quarter  of  the  globe.  On  the  whole, 
then,  it  is  evident  that  conscience  is  founded  on  human 
nature,  and  forming  a  constituent  part  of  it,  and  may  be 
regarded  as  a  faithful  witness  for  God,  the  author  of  that 
nature,  and  as  rendering  to  His  character  a  consistent 
testimony.  This  ascendant  faculty  of  man,  which  may 
be  termed  the  divinity  within  us,  notwithstanding  the 


CONSCIENCE.  133 

occasional  sophistry  of  the  passions,  is  on  the  whole, 
representative  of  the  Divinity  above  us.  Whenever  an 
act  of  iniquity  or  an  outrage  is  done  to  the  law  of  con- 
science, there  is  felt  a  reaction  within,  which  tells  that 
the  outrage  is  resented.  Then  it  is  that  conscience 
makes  most  emphatic  assertion  of  its  high  prerogative, 
and,  instead  of  coming  forth  as  the  benign  and  generous 
dispenser  of  its  rewards  to  the  obedient,  it  comes  forth 
like  an  offended  monarch  in  the  character  of  a  severe 
avenger.  In  that  instant  pleasure  and  instant  pain, 
wherewith  conscience  follows  up  the  doings  of  man,  we 
behold  not  only  a  present  judgment,  but  a  present  execu- 
tion of  the  sentence,  to  the  end  that  immediate  repentance 
and  amended  ways  may  follow. 

God  is  the  rewarder  of  virtue.  He  hath  so  constituted 
our  nature  that,  in  the  very  flow  and  exercise  of  the  good 
affections,  there  shall  be  the  oil  of  gladness.  There  is 
instant  delight  in  the  first  conception  of  benevolence. 
There  is  sustained  delight  in  its  continued  exercise. 
There  is  consummated  delight  in  its  happy  smiling,  and 
prosperous  result.  Kindness  and  honesty  and  truth  are 
of  themselves  and  irrespective  of  their  Tightness,  sweet 
unto  the  taste  of  the  inner  man.  Malice,  envy,  falsehood, 
injustice,  irrespective  of  their  wrongness,  have  of  them- 
selves, the  bitterness  of  gall  and  wormwood. 

It  is  thus  manifest  that  a  state  of  well-doing  stands 
associated  with  a  state  of  well-being.  The  special  virtue 
of  temperance  is  not  more  closely  associated  with  the 
health  of  the  body,  than  the  general  habit  of  virtue  is 
with  a  wholesome  and  well  conditioned  state  of  the  soul. 
There  is  then  no  derangement,  as  it  were,  in  the  system 
of  our  nature — all  the  powers,  whether  superior  or  subor- 
dinate, being  in  their  right  places,  and  all  moving  without 


134  ONE  RELIGION:  MANY  CREEDS. 

discord  and  without  dislocation.  In  short,  God  has  so 
framed  the  creatures  of  His  will,  as  that  their  perfect 
goodness  and  perfect  happiness  are  one. 

To  educatp  and  win  man  to  his  greatest  happiness,  and 
true  destiny,  God  has  spread  diversified  loveliness  over 
the  panorama  of  visible  things,  thrown  innumerable  walks 
of  enchantment  around  us ;  turned  the  sights  and  sounds 
of  rural  scenery  into  the  ministers  of  exquisite  enjoyment ; 
and  caused  the  outer  world  of  matter  to  image  forth  in 
profusion  those  various  qualities  which  please  or  power- 
fully affect  us  in  the  inner  world  of  consciousness  and 
thought.  God,  we  say,  has  thus  multiplied  our  enjoy- 
ments, and  invested  them  with  such  qualities  as  suit  the 
constitution  of  the  human  mind.  He  has  pencilled  them 
with  the  very  colors  or  moulded  them  into  the  very  shapes 
which  suggest  either  the  graceful  or  the  noble  of  the 
human  character. 

He  has  so  formed  our  mental  constitution,  and  so  • 
adapted  the  whole  economy  of  external  things  to  the 
stable  and  everlasting  principles  of  virtue,  that  in  effect 
the  greatest  virtue  and  the  greatest  happiness  go  hand  in 
hand.  But  the  union  of  these  two  does  not  constitute 
their  unity.  Virtue  is  not  right  because  it  is  useful ; 
but  God  has  made  it  useful,  because  it  is  right.  He 
both  wills  virtue,  and  wills  the  happiness  of  his  crea- 
tures— this  benevolence  of  will,  being  itself,  not  the 
whole,  but  one  of  the  brightest  moralities  in  the  charac- 
ter of  the  Godhead.  He  wills  the  happiness  of  man, 
but  wills  his  virtue  more ;  and  accordingly,  has  so  con- 
structed both  the  system  of  humanity  and  the  system  of 
eternal  nature,  that  only  through  the  medium  of  virtue 
can  any  substantial  or  lasting  happiness  be  realized. 
Finally,  it  is  worthy  of  special  note  that  while  conscience 


MAN'S  CONFIDENCE  IN  NATURE.  135 

exercises  the  same  authority  and  gives  the  same  lessons, 
approves  and  disapproves  of  the  same  things  all  the 
world  over,  it  never  condemns  in  matters  concerning  the 
thousands  of  disputed  creeds  and  theologies  abroad  in  the 
world ;  may  not  this  be  taken  as  proof  positive  that 
dogmas  and  doctrines  form  no  part  of  genuine  religion  ? 

The  Christian  theology  being  entirely  based  upon  super- 
natural or  special  providences  in  contradistinction  to  the 
absolutely  stable  and  unalterable  laws  of  God,  we  cite  a 
passage  hereupon,  from  the  writings  of  Dr.  Chalmers. 
It  will  be  seen  that  the  views  here  expressed  are  com- 
pletely adverse  to  the  idea  of  vacillating  and  shifting 
laws,  such  as  theologians  pretend  to  recognize  in  God's 
government  of  the  affairs  of  this  world. 
•  "  This  disposition  to  count  on  the  uniformity  of  Nature, 
or  even  to  anticipate  the  same  consequents  from  the  same 
antecedents,  is  not  the  fruit  of  experience,  but  anterior  to 
it ;  or  at  least  anterior  to  the  very  earliest  of  those  of  her 
lessons  which  can  be  traced  backward  in  the  history  of 
an  infant  mind.  Indeed,  it  has  been  well  observed  by 
Dr.  Thomas  Brown,  that  the  future  constancy  of  Nature 
is  a  lesson,  which  no  observation  of  its  past  constancy, 
or  no  experience  could  have  taught  us." 

At  whatever  stage  of  the  experience  the  inference  may 
be  made,  whether  longer  or  shorter,  whether  oftener  or 
seldomer  repeated — the  conversion  of  the  past  into  the 
future  seems  to  require  a  distinct  and  independent  prin- 
ciple of  belief;  and  it  is  a  principle  which,  to  all  appear- 
ance, is  as  vigorous  in  childhood  as  in  the  full  maturity 
of  the  human  understanding.  The  child  who  strikes  the 
table  with  a  spoon  for  the  first  time,  and  is  regaled  by 
the  noise,  will  strike  again,  with  as  confident  an  expecta- 
tion of  the  same  result  as  if  the  succession  had  been 


136  ONE  RELIGION:   MANY  CREEDS. 

familiar  to  it  for  years.  There  is  the  expectation  before 
the  experience  of  Nature's  constancy ;  and  still  the  topic 
of  our  wonder  and  gratitude  is,  that  this  instinctive  and 
universal  faith  in  the  heart  should  be  responded  to  by 
objective  nature,  in  one  wide  and  universal  fulfillment. 

The  proper  office  of  experience,  in  this  matter,  is  very 
generally  misapprehended,  and  this  has  mystified  the  real 
principle  and  philosophy  of  the  subject.  Her  office  is  not 
to  tell,  or  to  reassure  us  of  the  constancy  of  Nature ;  but 
to  tell  what  the  terms  of  her  unalterable  progressions 
actually  are. 

The  human  mind  from  its  first  outset,  and  in  virtue  of 
a  constitutional  bias  co-eval  with  the  earliest  dawn  of 
the  understanding,  is  prepared  and  that  before  experience 
has  begun  her  lessons,  to  count  on  the  constancy  of 
Nature's  sequences.  But  at  that  time,  it  is  profoundly 
ignorant  of  the  sequences  in  themselves.  It  is  the  proper 
business  of  experience  to  give  this  information;  but  it  may 
require  many  lessons  before  that  her  disciples  be  made 
to  understand  what  be  the  distinct  terms  even  of  but  one 
sequence.  Nature  presents  us  with  her  phenomena  in 
complex  assemblages ;  and  it  is  often  difficult,  in  the  work 
of  disentangling  her  trains  from  each  other,  to  single  out 
the  proper  and  casual  antecedent  with  its  resulting  con- 
sequent, from  among  the  crowd  of  accessory  or  accidental 
circumstances  by  which  they  are  surrounded.  There  is 
never  any  uncertainty  as  to  the  invariableriess  of  Nature's 
successions.  The  only  uncertainty  is  as  to  the  steps  of 
each  succession  and  the  distinct  achievement  of  experience 
is  to  ascertain  these  steps.  And  many  mistakes  are  com- 
mitted in  this  course  of  education,  from  our  disposition  to 
confound  the  similarities  with  the  samenesses  of  Nature. 
We  neyer  misgive  in  our  general  confidence  that  the 


MAN'S  CONFIDENCE  IN  NATURE.  137 

same  antecedent  will  be  followed  by  the  same  consequent; 
but  we  often  mistake  the  semblance  for  the  reality,  and 
are  as  often  disappointed  in  the  expectations  that  we 
form.  This  is  the  real  account  of  that  growing  confi- 
dence, wherewith  we  anticipate  the  same  results  in  the 
same  apparent  circumstances,  the  oftener  that  that  result 
has  in  these  circumstances,  been  observed  by  us — as  of 
a  high-water  about  twice  every  day,  or  of  a  sunrise 
every  morning.  It  is  not  that  we  need  to  be  more 
assured  than  we  are  already  of  the  constancy  of  Nature, 
in  the  sense  that  every  result  must  always  be  the  sure 
effect  of  its  strict  and  casual  antecedent.  But  we  need  to 
be  assured  of  the  real  presence  of  this  antecedent,  in  that 
mass  of  contemporaneous  things  under  which  the  result 
has  taken  place  hitherto ;  and  of  this  we  are  more  and 
more  satisfied  with  every  new  occurrence  of  the  same 
event  in  the  same  apparent  circumstances.  This  too  is 
our  real  object  in  the  repetition  of  experiments.  Not  that 
we  suspect  that  Nature  will  ever  vacillate  from  her  con- 
stancy— for  if  by  one  decisive  experiment  we  should  fix 
the  real  terms  of  any  succession,  this  experiment  were  to 
us  as  good  as  a  thousand.  But  each  succession  in  Nature 
is  so  liable  to  be  obscured  and  complicated  by  other  influ- 
ences, that  we  must  be  quite  sure,  ere  we  can  proclaim 
our  discovery  of  some  new  sequence,  that  we  have  pro- 
perly disentangled  her  separate  trains  from  each  other. 
For  this  purpose  we  have  often  to  question  Nature  in 
many  different  ways  ;  we  have  to  combine  and  apply  her 
elements  variously ;  we  have  sometimes  to  detach  one 
ingredient,  or  to  add  another,  or  to  alter  the  proportions 
of  a  third — and  all  in  order,  not  to  ascertain  the  invaria- 
bleness  of  Nature,  for  of  this  we  have  had  instinctive  cer- 
tainty from  the  beginning ;  but  in  order  to  ascertain  what 


138  ONE  RELIGION:  MANY  CREEDS. 

the  actual  footsteps  of  her  progressions  are,  so  as  to,  con- 
nect each  effect  in  the  history  of  Nature's  changes  with 
its  strict  and  proper  cause.  Meanwhile,  amid  all  the  sus- 
pense and  the  frequent  disappointments  which  attend  this 
search  into  the  processes  of  nature,  our  confidence  in  the 
rigid  and  inviolable  uniformity  of  these  processes  remains 
unshaken — a  confidence  not  learned  from  experience,  but 
amply  confirmed  and  accorded  to  by  experience.  For 
this  instinctive  expectation  is  never  once  refuted,  in  the 
whole  course  of  our  subsequent  researches.  Nature, 
though  stretched  on  a  rack,  or  put  to  the  torture,  by  the 
inquisitions  of  science,  never  falters  from  her  iramuta- 
J)ility ;  but  persists,  unseduced  and  unwearied,  in  the 
same  response  to  the  same  question;  or  gives  forth,  by  a 
spark,  or  an  explosion,  or  an  effervescence,  or  some  other 
definite  phenomenon,  the  same  result  to  the  same  circum- 
stances or  combination  of  data.  The  anticipations  of 
infancy  meet  with  their  glorious  verification  in  all  the 
findings  of  manhood ;  and  a  truth  which  would  seem  to 
require  Omniscience  for  its  grasp,  as  co-extensive  with  all 
Nature  and  all  history,  is  deposited  by  the  hand  of  God, 
in  the  little  cell  of  a  nursling's  cogitations.  In  the 
instinctive,  the  universal  faith  of  Nature's  constancy  we 
behold  a  promise.  In  the  actual  constancy  of  Nature,  we 
behold  its  fulfillment.  When  the  two  are  viewed  in  con- 
nection, then,  to  be  told  that  Nature  never  recedes  from 
her  constancy,  is  to  be  told  that  the  God  of  Nature  never 
recedes  from  his  faithfulness.  If  not  by  a  whisper  from 
His  voice,  at  least  by  the  impress  of  His  hand,  He  hath 
deposited  a  silent  expectation  in  every  heart ;  and  He 
makes  all  Nature  and  all  history  conspire  to  realize  it. 
He  hath  not  only  enabled  man  to  retain  in  his  memory  a 
faithful  transcript  of  the  past,  but,  by  means  of  this  con- 


MAN'S  CONFIDENCE  IN  NATURE.  139 

stitutional  tendency,  this  instinct  of  the  understanding,  as 
it  has  been  termed,  to  look  with  prophetic  eye  upon  the 
future.  It  is  the  link  by  which  we  connect  experience 
with  anticipation — a  power  or  exercise  of  the  mind  co-eval 
with  the  first  dawnings  of  consciousness  or  observation, 
because  obviously  that  to  which  we  owe  the  confidence  so 
early  acquired  and  so  firmly  established,  in  the  informa- 
tion of  our  senses.  Nature  never  disappoints,  or  which  is 
equivalent  to  this,  the  Author  of  Nature  never  deceives  us. 
The  generality  of  Nature's  laws  is  indispensable,  both  to 
the  formation  of  any  system  of  truth  for  the  understand- 
ing and  to  the  guidance  of  our  actions.  But  ere  we  can 
make  use  of  it,  the  sense  and  the  confident  expectation  of 
this  generality  must  be  previously  in  our  minds ;  and  the 
concurrence,  the  contingent  harmony  of  these  two  ele- 
ments; the  requisite  adaptation  of  the  objective  to  the  sub- 
jective, with  the  manifest  utilities  to  which  it  is  subser- 
vient; the  palpable  and  perfect  meetness  which  subsists 
between  this  intellectual  propensity  in  man,  and  all  the 
processes  of  the  outward  universe — while  they  afford  incon- 
testable evidence  to  the  existence  and  unity  of  that  design, 
which  must  have  adjusted  the  mental  and  the  material 
formations  to  each  other,  speak  most  decisively,  in  our 
estimation,  both  for  the  truth  and  the  wisdom  of  God. 

We  have  long  felt  this  close  and  unexcepted,  while  at 
the  same  time,  contingent  harmony,  between  the  actual 
constancy  of  Nature  and  man's  faith  in  that  constancy,  to 
be  an  effectual  preservative  against  that  scepticism,  which 
would  represent  the  whole  system  of  our  thoughts  and 
perceptions  to  be  founded  on  an  illusion.  Certain  it  is, 
that  besides  an  indefinite  number  of  truths  received  by 
the  understanding  as  the  conclusions  of  proof  more  or  less 
lengthened,  there  are  truths  recognized  without  proof  by 


140  ONE  RELIGION:  MANY  CREEDS. 

an  instant  act  of  intuition — not  the  results  of  a  reasoning 
process,  but  themselves  the  first  principles  of  all  reasoning. 
There  is  a  comfort  in  being  enabled  to  vindicate  the 
confidence  which  Nature  has  inspired — as  in  those  cases, 
where  some  original  principle  of  hers  admits  of  being 
clearly  and  decidedly  tested.  And  it  is  so  of  our  faith 
in  the  constancy  of  Nature,  met  and  responded  to, 
throughout  all  her  dominions,  by  nature's  actual  con- 
stancy, the  one  being  the  expectation,  the  other  its  rigid 
and  invariable  fulfillment.  This  perhaps  is  the  most  pal- 
pable instance  which  can  be  quoted,  of  a  belief  anterior 
to  experience,  yet  of  which  experience  affords  a  wide  and 
unexcepted  verification.  It  proves  at  least  of  one  of  our 
implanted  instincts,  that  it  is  unerring ;  and  that,  over 
against  a  subjective  tendency  in  the  mind,  there  is  a 
great  objective  reality  in  circumambient  nature  to  which 
it  corresponds.  This  may  well  convince  us,  that  we  live, 
not  in  a  world  of  imaginations — but  in  a  world  of  realities. 
It  is  a  noble  example  of  the  harmony  which  obtains, 
between  the  original  make  and  constitution  of  the  human 
spirit  upon  the  one  hand,  and  the  constitution  of  external 
things  upon  the  other;  and  nobly  accredits  the  faithful- 
ness of  Him,  who,  as  the  Creator  of  both,  ordained  this 
happy  and  wondrous  adaptation.  That  we  are  never  mis- 
led in  our  instinctive  belief  of  nature's  uniformity,  demon- 
strates the  perfect  safety  wherewith  we  may  commit  our- 
selves to  the  guidance  of  our  original  principles,  whether 
intellectual  or  moral — assured,  that,  instead  of  occupying 
a  land  of  shadows,  a  region  of  universal  doubt  and  deri- 
sion, they  are  the  stabilities,  both  of  an  everlasting  truth 
and  an  everlasting  righteousness  with  which  we  have 
to  do."  This  is  directly  opposed  to  special  providences, 
without  which  Christian  theology  is  baseless. 


THE  MORAL  LAW.  141 

Our  ideas  of  the  moral  attributes  of  God  must  be 
derived  from  our  own  moral  perceptions.  It  is  only  by 
attending  to  these,  that  we  can  form  a  conception  of  what 
His  attributes  are  ;  and  it  is  in  this  way  we  are  furnished 
with  the  strongest  proofs  that  they  really  belong  to  Him. 
The  peculiar  sentiment  of  approbation  with  which  we 
regard  the  virtue  of  beneficence  in  others,  the  peculiar 
satisfaction  with  which  we  reflect  on  each  of  our  own 
actions  as  have  contributed  to  the  happiness  of  mankind, 
and  we  may  add,  the  exquisite  pleasure  accompanying  the 
exercise  of  all  the  kind  affections,  naturally  lead  us  to 
consider  benevolence  or  goodness  as  the  supreme  attribute 
of  the  Deity.  It  is  difficult,  indeed,  to  conceive  what 
other  motive  could  have  induced  a  Being,  completely  and 
independently  happy,  to  have  called  his  creatures  into 
existence.  The  evils  which  we  suffer  are  parts  of  a  great 
system  conducted  by  Almighty  power,  under  the  direction 
of  infinite  wisdom  and  goodness. 

The  creation  of  beings  endowed  with  Free-will,  and 
consequently  liable  to  moral  delinquency,  and  the  govern- 
ment of  the  world  by  general  laws — from  which  occa- 
sional evils  must  result — furnish  no  solid  objection  to  the 
perfection  of  the  universe.  When  man,  ignorantly  or 
knowingly,  violates  any  of  God's  laws,  he  receives  the 
punishment  consequent  upon  his  action  and  best  for  his 
ultimate  welfare.  Such  punishment  is  therefore  in  accord- 
ance with  God's  goodness  and  justice — utility  being  the 
sole  principle  of  action,  as  well  in  regard  to  punishments 
as  rewards. 

The  various  duties  of  life  agree  with*each  other  in  one 
common  quality,  that  of  being  obligatory  on  rational  and 
voluntary  agents ;  and  they  are  all  enjoined  by  the  same 
authority — the  authority  of  conscience.  These  duties, 


142  ONE  RELIGION:  MANY  CREEDS. 

therefore,  are  but  different  articles  of  one  law,  which  is 
properly  expressed  by  the  word  Virtue ;  or  still  more 
unequivocally,  by  the  phrase,  The  Moral  Law. 

The  practice  of  morality  is  facilitated  by  repeated  acts ; 
and,  therefore,  the  word  Virtue  may  with  propriety  be 
employed  to  express  that  habit  of  mind  which  it  is  the 
great  object  of  a  good  man  to  confirm.  "  He  that  ruleth 
his  spirit  feels  himself  greater  than  he  that  taketh  a 
city."  "It  is  pleasant,"  says  Dr.  Tillotson,  "to  be  vir- 
tuous and  good,  because  that  is  to  excel  many  others.  It 
is  pleasant  to  grow  better,  because  that  is  to  excel  our- 
selves." We  are  under  an  obligation  to  right,  which  is 
antecedent,  and,  in  order  and  nature,  superior  to  all  other. 

Dr.  Clarke  has  expressed  himself  nearly  to  the  same 
purpose.  "  The  judgment  and  conscience  of  a  man's  own 
mind  concerning  the  reasonableness  and  fitness  of  a  thing, 
is  the  truest  and  most  formal  obligation,  for,  whoever  acts 
contrary  to  this  sense  and  conscience  of  his  own  mind,  is 
necessarily  self-condemned,  and  the  greatest  and  strongest 

*/  O 

of  all  obligations  is  that  which  a  man  cannot  break 
through  without  condemning  himself.  So  far,  therefore, 
as  men  are  conscious  of  what  is  right  and  wrong,  so  far 
they  are  under  an  obligation  to  act  accordingly."  This 
view  of  human  nature  is  the  most  simple,  so  it  is  the 
most  ancient  which  occurs  in  the  history  of  moral  science. 
It  was  the  doctrine  of  the  Pythagorean  school,  as  appears 
from  a  fragment  of  Theages,  a  Pythagorean  writer,  pub- 
lished in  Gale's  Opuscula  Mythologiea.  It  is  also 
explained  by  Plato,  in  some  of  his  dialogues.  Adam 
Smith  says,  "  Up6n  whatever  we  suppose  our  moral  fac- 
ulties to  be  founded ;  whether  upon  a  certain  modification 
of  reasons,  upon  an  original  instinct  called  a  moral  sense, 
or  upon  some  other  principle  of  our  nature,  it  cannot  be 


SCIENCE  THE  ALLY  OF  RELIGION.  143 

doubted  that  they  are  given  us  for  the  direction  of  our 
conduct  in  this  life.  They  carry  along  with  them  the 
most  evident  badges  of  their  authority,  which  denote  that 
they  were  set  up  within  us  to  be  the  supreme  arbiters  of 
all  our  actions ;  to  superintend  all  our  senses,  passions, 
and  appetites;  and  to  judge  how  far  each  of  them  was  to 
be  either  indulged  or  restrained.  Since  these,  therefore, 
were  plainly  intended  to  be  the  governing  principles  of 
human  nature,  the  rules  which  they  prescribe  are  to  be 
regarded  as  the  commands  and  laws  of  the  Deity,  promul- 
gated by  those  vicegerents  which  he  has  thus  set  up 
within  us.  *  *  *  *  By  acting  according  to  their  dictates, 
we  may  be  said,  in  some  sense,  to  co-operate  with  the 
Deity,  and  to  advance,  as  far  as  in  our  power,  the  plan  of 
Providence." 

Again:  "Therefore,  all  things  whatsoever  ye  would 
that  men  should  do  to  you,  do  ye  even  so  to  them;  for 
this  is  the  Law  and  the  Prophets."  (Matthew  vii.  12.) 
This  golden  rule  was  embodied  in  the  words  of  Confucius, 
the  Chinese  sage,  h' ve  hundred  years  before  Christ ;  and 
again  by  Hillel,  a  Hebrew  president,  thirty  years  before 
Christ.  But  all  men  have  been  under  its  influence,  and 
have  been  actuated  by  it,  to  a  greater  or  less  extent,  since 
the  existence  of  man,  independent  of  its  having  been 
spoken  or  written.  The  principle  upon  which  the  saying 
is  founded  is  innate — imperative,  in  a  degree,  and  none 
can  disregard  it. 

The  generality  or  constancy  of  Nature's  laws  is  indis- 
pensable, both  to  the  formation  of  any  system  of  truth 
for  the  understanding,  and  to  the  guidance  of  our  actions. 
The  stability  of  God's  law,  we  say,  is  indispensable  to 
our  being  educated  to  its  observance,  and  yet  the  churches 
inculcate,  that  it  -is  vacillating  or  being  changed  from  day 


144  ONE  RELIGION :  MANY  CREEDS. 

to  day,  at  the  instance  of  prayer  or  other  causes  moving 
God  to  reverse  his  general  laws,  the  better  to  provide  for 
some  special  and  unforeseen  contingency.  On  this  one 
question,  as  to  whether  God's  purposes  and  ways  are 
unchangeable  or  whether  they  are  vacillating,  hangs  the 
truth  or  fallacy  of  the  pretended  fall  of  man,  and  the 
Christian  scheme,  for  his  restoration.  Mr.  Buckle  has 
well  observed  that  the  ancient  superstition  is  now  slowly 
though  surely  dying  away,  which  represented  the  Deity 
as  being  constantly  moved  to  anger,  delighting  in  seeing 
His  creatures  abase  and  mortify  themselves,  taking  plea- 
sure in  their  sacrifices  and  their  austerities,  and,  notwith- 
standing all  they  could  do,  constantly  inflicting  on  them 
the  most  grievous  punishments,  among  which  the  different 
forms  of  pestilence  were  conspicuous.  It  is  by  science, 
and  by  science  alone,  that  these  horrible  delusions  are 
being  dissipated.  Events,  which  formerly  were  deemed 
supernatural  visitations,  are  now  shown  to  depend  upon 
natural  causes,  and  to  be  amenable  to  natural  remedies. 
Man  can  predict  them,  and  man  can  deal  with  them. 
Being  the  inevitable  result  of  their  own  antecedents,  no 
room  is  left  for  the  notion  of  their  being  special  inflic- 
tions. This  great  change  in  our  opinions  is  fatal  to 
theology,  but  serviceable  to  religion.  For,  by  it,  science, 
instead  of  being  the  enemy  of  religion,  becomes  its  ally. 
That  this  remarkable  improvement,  the  relieving  of 
religion  from  dogma,  is  due  to  the  progress  of  physical 
science,  is  apparent,  not  only  from  general  arguments 
which  would  lead  us  to  anticipate  that  such  must  be  the 
case,  but  also  from  the  historical  fact,  that  the  gradual 
destruction  of  the  old  theology  is  everywhere  preceded  by 
the  growth  and  diffusion  of  physical  truths.  The  more 
we  know  of  the  laws  of  Nature  the  more  clearly  do  we 


PROVIDENTIAL  INTERFERENCE.  145 

understand  that  every  thing  which  happens  in  the  mate- 
rial world,  pestilence,  earthquake,  famine,  or  whatever  it 
may  be,  is  the  necessary  result  of  something  which  had 
previously  happened.  Cause  produces  effect,  and  the 
effect  becomes,  in  its  turn,  a  cause  of  other  effects.  In 
that  operation,  there  is  no  gap,  and  no  pause.  The  chain 
is  unbroken ;  the  constancy  of  Nature  is  unviolated.  Our 
minds  become  habituated  to  contemplate  all  physical 
phenomena  as  presenting  an  orderly,  uniform,  and  spon- 
taneous march,  and  running  on  in  one  regular  and  unin- 
terrupted sequence.  This  is  the  scientific  view.  It  is 
also  the  religious  view.  Against  it,  we  have  the  theolo- 
gical view  ;  but  that  which  has  already  lost  its  hold  over 
the  intellect  of  men  is  now  losing  its  hold  over  their 
affections,  and  is  so  manifestly  perishing,  that  at  present 
no  educated  person  ventures  to  defend  it,  without  so 
limiting  and  guarding  his  meaning,  as  to  concede  to  its 
opponents  nearly  every  point  which  is  really  at  issue. 

"  While,  however,  in  regard  to  the  material  world,  the 
narrow  notions  formerly  entertained  are,  in  the  most 
enlightened  countries,  almost  extinct,  it  must  be  confessed 
that,  in  regard  to  the  moral  world,  the  progress  of  opinion 
is  less  rapid.  The  same  men,  who  believe  that  Nature  is 
undisturbed  by  miraculous  interposition,  refuse  to  believe 
that  man  is  equally  undisturbed.  In  the  one  case,  they 
assert  the  scientific  doctrine  of  regularity ;  in  the  other, 
they  assert  the  theological  doctrine  of  irregularity." 

"The  doctrine  that  God  governs  the  world  by  super- 
natural and  irregular  means  instead  of  never  varying 
laws,  is  not  only  unscientific,  but  it  is  eminently  irreli- 
gious. It  is,  in  fact,  an  impeachment  of  one  of  the 
noblest  attributes  of  the  Deity.  It  is  a  slur  on  the 
omniscience  of  God.  It  assumes  that  the  fate  of  nations, 
10 


146  ONE  RELIGION:  MANY  CREEDS. 

instead  of  being  the  result  of  preceding  and  surrounding 
events,  is  specially  subject  to  the  control  and  interference 
of  Providence.  It  assumes  that  there  are  great  public 
emergencies,  in  which  such  interference  is  needed.  It 
assumes  that,  without  this  interference,  the  course  of 
affairs  could  not  run  smoothly ;  that  they  would  be  jangled 
and  out  of  tune ;  that  the  play  and  harmony  of  the  whole 
would  be  incomplete.  And  thus  it  is  that  the  very  men, 
who  at  one  moment  proclaim  the  divine  omniscience,  do 
at  the  next  moment  advocate  a  theory  which  reduces  that 
omniscience  to  nothing,  since  it  imputes  to  an  All-wise 
Being,  that  the  scheme  of  human  affairs,  of  which  He 
must  from  the  beginning  have  foreseen  every  issue  and 
every  consequence,  is  so  weakly  contrived  as  to  be  liable 
to  be  frustrated ;  that  it  has  not  turned  out  as  He  could 
have  wished;  that  it  has  been  baffled  by  His  own  crea- 
tures; and  that,  to  preserve  its  integrity,  its  operations 
must  be  tampered  with  and  its  disorders  redressed.  The 
great  Architect  of  the  Universe,  the  Creator  and  Designer 
of  all  existing  things,  is  likened  to  some  clumsy  mechanic, 
who  knows  his  trade  so  ill,  that  he  has  to  be  called  in  to 
alter  the  working  of  his  own  machine,  to  supply  its  defi- 
ciencies, to  fill  up  its  flaws,  and  to  rectify  its  errors." 

"Those  who  cling  to  these  errors,  do  so  from  the 
influence  of  tradition,  rather  than  from  complete  and 
unswerving  belief.  From  the  beginning,  there  has  been 
no  discrepancy,  no  incongruity,  no  disorder,  no  interrup- 
tion, no  interference ;  but  all  the  events  which  surround 
us,  even  to  the  furthest  limits  of  the  material  creation, 
are  but  different  parts  of  a  single  scheme,  which  is  per- 
meated by  one  glorious  principle  of  universal  and  unde- 
viating  regularity." 


ERRONEOUS  IDEAS  OF  HEAVEN.  147 

Faith  in  an  existence  beyond  the  grave  involves  by 
necessity  the  belief  that  man's  spiritual  individuality,  his 
consciousness  of  personal  identity,  is  preserved  to  each  in- 
dividual ;  else  the  faith,  with  which  God  has  inspired  him 
in  relation  to  happiness  in  another  world,  would  be  a 
delusion.  Man  can  have  no  conception  of  future  happi- 
ness, or  attach  any  value  to  the  idea  of  it,  apart  from 
associations  with  his  present  existence,  or  unless  he  blends 
with  it  some  recollection  of  his  past  existence,  peculiari- 
ties, and  identity.  Let  a  man  contemplate  his  mind  and 
spirit  waking  up  in  eternity  as  from  a  sleep,  with  all  their 
faculties  in  full  vigor,  co-operating  and  performing  their 
normal  functions  as  when  united  to  the  body  here,  and  pos- 
sessing all  the  peculiarities  that  distinguished  them  indi- 
vidually, yet  without  the  slightest  remembrance  or  con- 
sciousness of  his  former  being — would  such  a  future  be 
deemed  of  the  smallest  worth  by  any  one?  If  we  are 
not  to  know  ourselves  in  the  next  world  and  to  associate 
our  existence  here  with  that  of  the  world  to  come,  then 
it  matters  little  whether  it  be  another  or  ourself  that 
secures  a  more  or  less  happy  state  in  eternity,  or  any 
existence  whatever  beyond  the  grave. 

In  the  infancy  of  the  human  race,  when  men  were 
slowly  elaborating  forms  of  speech  to  give  utterance 
to  their  thoughts,  and  communicate  with  their  fellows, 
words  were  invented,  that,  however  originally  useful  in 
themselves, -have  helped,  in  the  progress  of  time,  to  cir- 
cumscribe the  intellect  they  were  intended  to  enlarge. 
Such  words,  to  this  day,  exercise  a  prejudicial  effect,  and 
convey  false  meanings  and  impressions.  Thus  the  Bible 
accounts  of  Heaven  and  Hell  give  an  altogether  erroneous 
idea  of  the  imaginary  states  which  they  profess  to  pre- 
figure. Heaven  is  represented  as  a  place  above  the 


148  ONE  RELIGION:  MANY  CREEDS. 

earth — a  place  heaved-up,  like  a  vault  or  arch  over  the 
earth,  in  which  God  is  supposed  to  dwell.  The  discovery 
that  the  earth  is  a  globe,  and  not  an  extended  plane,  ought 
to  suggest  an  idea  of  Heaven  more  correctly  applicable  to 
the  fact;  for  it  makes  the  words  "up"  and  "down"  mathe- 
matically incorrect,  and  pertinent  only  to  that  apparent 
plane  commanded  by  the  human  eye.  Still,  however,  not 
only  the  ignorant,  but  the  educated,  continue  to  speak  of 
"Heaven"  as  a  place  above  the  earth — as  the  abode  of 
God — a  place  inhabited  in  eternity  only  by  those  who 
believe  in  certain  doctrines  which  are  inculcated  here, 
and  where  the  enjoyments  prepared  for  them  are,  accord- 
ing to  most  creeds,  far  more  carnal  than  spiritual,  and 
pertain  to  the  things  upon  which  the  sensual  are  most 
addicted  to  set  a  value.  .  For  the  faithful  Christian,  there 
are  crowns  of  gold,  to  be  worn  in  a  city  which  is  paved 
with  gold,  whose  foundations  are  garnished  with  all 
manner  of  precious  stones,  and  whose  twelve  gates  are  of 
pearl.  There  are  beautiful  bowers  and  fountains,  and 
lovely  "houries"  for  the  eternal  delight  of  the  good  Mus- 
sulman. There  are  happy  hunting  grounds  for  the 
immortalized  Red  Indian. 

In  like  manner,  the  word  "Hell,"  which  originally 
meant  a  "hole,"  or  the  "grave," — has  been  used  to 
create  an  idea  opposite  to  Heaven — the  heaved-up  abode 
of  bliss,  and  to  signify  a  place  below  the  earth — a  place 
of  eternal  punishment — the  abode  of  the  Devil,  the  rep- 
resentative of  the  principle  of  evil,  where  unbelievers 
will  be  tormented  forever  in  fire  and  brimstone.  As- 
tronomy ought  to  make  an  end  of  both  of  these  erroneous 
ideas,  for  it  proves  that  the  universe  is  the  abode  of  God — 
the  universe  that  embraces  the  earth,  the  stars,  and  every 
other  system  that  pervades  the  infinity  of  space.  There 


ATTRIBUTES  OF  GOD.  149 

is  therefore  no  room  for  Hell.  The  glorious  universe 
swallows  up  every  atom  of  space  that  exists.  If  the 
terms  are  admissible  in  any  sense,  Heaven  is  in  reality  a 
comparatively  advanced  state  of  happiness  here  and 
hereafter,  brought  about  by  obedience  to  God's  laws. 
Hell,  in  like  manner,  is  the  state  of  mind,  here  and  here- 
after, produced  by  disobedience  to  those  laws.  It  is, 
within  certain  limits,  for  man  himself  to  decide  or  control, 
by  his  own  conduct,  the  amount  of  either  that  shall  be 
his  portion. 

At  every  step  in  a  train  of  argumentation,  we  are  in 
the  habit  of  affirming  one  thing  to  be  true,  because  of  its 
logical  connection  with  another  thing  known  to  be  true. 
But,  as  this  process  of  derivation  must  have  a  limit,  it  is 
obvious  that  at  the  starting  point  to  which  some,  at  least, 
of  these  trains  of  reasoning  are  traced  back,  there  must 
be  truths  which — instead  of  borrowing  their  credibility 
from  others — announce  themselves  immediately  to  the 
mind,  by  the  original  and  independent  and  inherent  evi- 
dence pertaining  to  them. 

Now,  among  those  primary  convictions  of  the  under- 
standing— these  truths  which  come  by  necessity,  first- 
handed  from  God  to  man — we  shall,  for  our  present  pur- 
pose, cite  only  the  one  from  which  all  others  radiate,  to 
wit,  the  existence  of  a  God  who  is  the  Creator  and  Ruler 
of  the  universe — including  man.  Upon  this  undisputable 
truth — we  claim — may  be  founded  with  implicit  confi- 
dence, the  following  propositions  :  That  He  who  made  the 
universe  has  no  peer,  no  equal,  is  One  and  indivisible : 
That  He  is  absolute  in  power ;  and  that  there  is  no  devil 
or  other  being  disputing  His  sway,  or  at  enmity  with  Him. 
That  He  is  infinite  in  justice  and  goodness,  and  hence 
could  not  have  so  ordained  man  and  his  surroundings,  as 


150  ONE  RELIGION  :  MANY  CREEDS, 

to  permit  of  other  than  eventual  supreme  good  to  each 
human  being. 

We  hold  that  these  views  in  relation  to  God,  naturally 
flow  from  the  bare  contemplation  of  Him,  whose  know- 
ledge and  power  were  and  are  equal  to  creating  and  sus- 
taining the  universe.  We  hold  also,  that  experience, 
which  shall  never  end,  commences  betimes  in  the  life  of 
each  man,  to  confirm  him  the  more  and  more  in  his  early 
conceptions  of  God's  excellence  and  glory. 

This  prime  conviction  of  the  existence  of  a  God,  and 
the  natural  deductions  from  it,  practically  over-ride  all 
false  teaching,  come  it  from  whatsoever  source  it  may,  and 
is  ever  confirming  the  true.  We  have  said  that  a  self- 
evident  truth,  which  must  by  necessity  come  to  the  mind 
of  every  man  first-hand,  is  the  only  reliable  basis,  no 
less  than  the  continuous  cement  of  all  sound  reasoning. 
Where  do  the  Christian  Churches  find  this  basis  and  this 
cement?  Is  it  in  their  traditions,  in  their  theologies  bor- 
rowed from  the  ancients,  in  their  fabulous  records  contra- 
dicted by  history,  in  the  unfulfilled  predictions  of  their 
oracles,  in  their  miracles,  which  will  not  bear  the  test  of 
science,  in  their  self-bestowed  certificates  of  their  own 
infallibility,  in  the  bloody  doings  of  their  hierarchy  during 
the  dark  ages,  in  their  repulsive  creed  that  dooms  the  vast 
majority  of  mankind  to  everlasting  anguish? 

Furthermore,  the  need  of  a  base,  or  foundation — cor- 
responding in  solidity,  and  of  universal  acceptation  with 
that  of  the  existence  of  a  one  Omnipotent  and  indivisi- 
ble God — whereupon  to  rest  the  doctrines  peculiar  to  the 
Christian  theology,  as  distinguished  from  natural  religion, 
is  visible  in  the  multiplicity  of  Christian  sects,  in  their 
wars  and  persecutions  among  themselves  in  other  times 
and  in  their  divisions  and  heart-burnings  of  to-day.  This 


GOD  IN  NATURE.  151 

again  brings  up  the  question  which  distinguishes  theology 
from  religion. 

God  hath  so  constituted  us,  that  we  thirst  for  knowl- 
edge, adapted  to  our  taste  for  the  beautiful ;  and  He  has 
formed  the  world  without,  to  awaken  echoes  in  the  soul 
within,  so  as  to  promote  at  one  and  the  same  time  the 
enlargement  of  the  experience,  the  quickening  of  the 
understanding,  and  the  refinement  of  the  feelings. 

Each  class  of  objects  furnishes  its  quota  of  evidence. 
The  physical  works  of  God  give  indications  of  power  and 
skill.  The  providence  of  God  exhibits  a  governing  and 
controlling  energy.  Our  spiritual  natures  lift  us  to  the 
conception  of  a  living  and  spiritual  God. 

The  phenomena,  which  prove  the  existence  of  God, 
also  demonstrate  that  he  delights  in  the  happiness  of  his 
creatures.  How  delightful  to  find  that  every  adaptation 
indicating  design  also  indicates  benevolence,  and  that  we 
have  as  clear  evidence  of  the  goodness  as  of  the  very 
existence  of  God.  Let  it  be  observed,  too,  that  the  mind, 
as  its  general  conceptions  expand,  will  also  have  its  idea 
of  God  expanded.  When  Nature  is  viewed  in  a  nar- 
row spirit,  it  may  leave  the  impression  that  there  is  an 
unseemly  warfare,  and  that  there  are  numberless  contra- 
dictions in  the  universe.  The  light  of  knowledge,  as  it 
rises,  dispels  these  phantoms,  and  discloses  among  appa- 
rent incongruities  and  contentions,  a  unity  of  being  in  the 
Creator  and  Governor  of  all  things. 

The  workings  of  conscience  in  the  soul,  besides  furnish- 
ing a. curious  subject  of  inquiry,  carry  us  down  into  the 
very  depths  of  our  nature,  and  thence  upwards  to  some  of 
the  highest  of  the  Divine  perfections.  It  is  by  this  light, 
which  God  has  furnished  to  all  men,  and  the  training 


152  ONE  RELIGION:  MANY  CREEDS. 

resulting  from  bis  unalterable  laws,  tbat  God's  goodness 
will  become  more  and  more  apparent. 

We  have  seen  tbat  in  Judaism,  Mabommedanism,  Hin- 
dooism,  Buddhism,  Christianity,  and  every  description  of 
creed  under  the  sun,  the  will  of  a  living  Being  is  asserted 
as  the  ground  of  all  things  ;  they  all  speak  of  Him  as 
declaring  Himself,  and  as  exercising  a  continual,  not  an 
occasional,  government  over  men.  The  universal  recogni- 
tion of  a  Divine,  personal,  unseen,  Sovereignty  ;  of  One 
who  is  not  sought  out  oy  men,  but  who  calls  them  to  do 
His  work,  is  the  foundation,  and  strength  of  actual  reli- 
gion. He  calls  upon  them  to  obey  a  Will ;  each  act  of 
obedience  brings  them  into  closer  acquaintance  with  Him 
who  gives  the  command. 

Man  is  taught  that  the  evil  which  he  is  conscious  of 
in  himself,  and  which  he  sees  in  others,  comes  from 
unlikeness  to  the  perfect  Being  in  whose  image  he  is 
created.  He  has  but  a  glimpse  of  the  Divine  purposes 
and  character,  but  it  is  such  a  glimpse,  as  is  suitable  to 
his  necessities.  He  is  taught  that  righteousness  is  a 
reality ;  that  the  government  of  the  world  is  based  upon 
it ;  that  wrong  and  oppression  are  not  meant  to  triumph. 

But  such  a  Revelation  as  this,  could  never  merely  be 
delivered  to  men  as  a  book  of  sentences  or  maxims ;  it 
must  come  forth  in  a  history  of  Divine  law  and  human 
acts.  It  must  show  how  the  Divine  Will  directed  events 
by  means  of  a  never-varying  law  and  disciplined  men  for 
that  perfect  good,  that  knowledge  of  himself  which  He 
had  designed  for  them.  It  must  show  how  He  cultivates 
the  faculties  which  He  has  given  to  His  creatures,  how 
He  enables  them  to  overcome  the  darkness  and  difficulties 
in  the  midst  of  which  they  are  struggling.  Thus  securing 
the  predominance  of  right  over  wrong,  and  virtue  over 


THE  DIVINE  CHARACTER.  153 

vice,  and  the  clearer  and  clearer  view  of  God's  goodness 
and  perfection. 

In  primitive  times  men  in  striving  to  comprehend  the 
characteristics  of  God,  resorted  by  way  of  illustration,  to 
those  traits  in  human  character,  which  are  quite  at  vari- 
ance with  His  nature.  In  many  cases  this  course  mis- 
leads rather  than  edifies.  Such  passions  and  emotions, 
while  especially  adapted  to  the  necessities  of  finite  beings 
of  limited  power  and  knowledge  and  liable  to  err,  have  no 
counterpart  in  God's  higher  nature.  His  infinite  power, 
knowledge,  foresight,  justice,  goodness,  in  short,  His 
supreme  perfections  preclude  any  such  emotions,  passions, 
or  qualities,  as  repentance,  anger,  pity,  hope,  fear,  love, 
mercy,  hatred,  forgiveness,  surprise,  gladness,  levity, 
revenge,  disappointment,  rejoicing,  or  jealousy.  Nothing 
can  take  place  which  God  did  not  foresee  would  take  place 
at  the  time  of  establishing  His  perfect  design,  to  be  worked 
out  under  the  unalterable  laws  that  He  ordained  for  the 
purpose.  Since,  therefore,  it  is  man's  high  privilege  to 
advance  in  the  knowledge  and  appreciation  of  God's 
goodness  and  perfections,  in  contemplation  of  Him  we 
should  avail  ourselves  of  the  highest  intellectual  culture 
at  our  command.  In  this  way,  we  confirm,  and  add  to 
the  original  conception  of  God,  taught  us  by  natural  reli- 
gion. This  will  lead  us  to  a  vastly  more  elevated  idea  of 
God,  than  those  teachings  which  inculcate  that  He  is 
finite  and  vacillating,  and  which  reduce  Him  to  a  level 
with  His  dependent,  short-sighted  creatures.  Love,  mercy, 
and  forgiveness  can  not  apply  to  God  in  the  sense  in 
which  these  emotions  are  understood  and  expressed  by 
man.  Justice,  and  goodness  supersede  them.  God's 
ordinances  regulated  by  His  infinite  wisdom  are  such,  that 
the  exercise  of  mercy  and  forgiveness  would  be  less  just 


154  ONE  RELIGION:  MANY  CREEDS. 

and  beneficial  to  man  than  otherwise,  both  in  this  life  and 
the  life  to  come.  It  is  far  better  for  God  to  exact  to  the 
utmost  that  penalty  which  He  has  attached  to  man's  mis- 
doings, not  as  punishment,  but  as  remedy — inasmuch  as  it 
is  imposed  upon  him  with  the  sole  object  of  training  and 
fitting  him  to  the  destiny  that  God  originally  designed  for 
him.  A  jury  sometimes  recommends  a  criminal  whom 
they  have  condemned  to  the  mercy  of  the  court,  because 
they  are  not  altogether  satisfied  that  the  culprit  is  guilty 
by  the  strict  interpretation  of  the  law,  or  because  they 
find  mitigating  circumstances  in  his  case.  Not  so  with 
God — He  is  enabled  by  His  perfect  fore-knowledge  and 
wisdom  to  make  sure  that  the  crime  and  the  punishment 
are  in  exact  fitness  to  each  other  ;  and  since  they  are  so 
adjusted  for  man's  best  interests,  it  would  be  unmerciful 
to  destroy  this  fitness,  by  the  relaxation  of  any  portion  of 
the  penalty  originally  attached  to  man's  misdoings.  The 
same  considerations  apply  to  love.  If  God's  original  laws 
are  strictly  just,  and  all-sufficient  for  carrying  out  His 
perfect  purpose — and  who  shall  doubt  it — any  exercise  of 
love  that  would  alter  man's  original  relation  to  those  laws, 
would  be  unjust  to  him.  God's  justice  is  exact  to  the 
most  minute  point,  and  admits  of  no  amendment.  Any 
exercise  of  love  or  mercy,  on  God's  part  that  would 
reverse  His  original  decrees,  presupposes  God  to  be  falli- 
ble or  unable  to  ordain  all  things  aright  from  the  first. 

The  parable  of  the  Prodigal  Son  is  intended  to  incul- 
cate the  idea  that  God  rejoices  more  over  the  repentance 
of  a  sinner,  than  over  the  well-doing  of  a  just  man.  What 
a  striking  example  of  the  unwarrantable  application  of 
human  passions  to  the  Deity  is  this  !  It  is  natural  that 
a  father  should  experience  an  agreeable  surprise  and  ela- 
tion at  the  return  of  a  wayward  son  to  duty.  Eut  God 


NO  REMISSION  OF  PENALTIES.  155 

Las  ordained  that  he  who  sins  shall  assuredly  repent ;  and 
what  God  has  imperatively  ordained  to  take  place  can 
afford  Him  no  surprise  or  rejoicing  at  its  consummation. 
Every  event  or  issue  is  the  even  flow  of  the  purpose  He 
foresaw  and  intended  from  the  beginning ;  therefore,  the 
parable  in  question  is  not  a  true  illustration  of  the  attri- 
butes or  emotions  of  God.  Sincere  repentance  tends,  most 
forcibly,  to  turn  men  from  their  evil  ways  ;  and,  there- 
fore, Jesus  did  well  when  he  charged  his  Apostles  to 
preach  repentance,  but  inconsistently  when  he  inculcated 
the  idea  that  repentance  brings  remission  of  the  penalty 
due  to  sin.  This  is  impossible,  inasmuch  as  the  punish- 
ment which  sin  entails  is  the  sole  cause  of  the  repentance. 
The  effect  of  punishment  and  repentance  for  sin  were 
never  meant  to  be  retrospective  ;  but  are  intended  to  warn 
us  against  the  commission  of  sin  in  future.  For  instance, 
the  burnt  child  dreads  the  fire.  This  wholesome  dread  in 
no  wise  assuages  the  pain  of  the  burn  ;  but  it  is  an  impor- 
tant lesson  to  the  child  to  enable  it  to  steer  clear  of  sim- 
ilar dangers,  and  the  more  effectual,  as  the  pain  is  more 
severe.  God's  goodness  and  justice  are  here  shewn  in 
exacting  the  penalty,  and  thereby  producing  the  repent- 
ance ;  since  repentance  leads  to  man's  best  interests. 

Even  the  appellation  of  Father,  accorded  to  God  by 
Jesus — much  as  it  has  done  and  is  calculated  to  do  in 
giving  some  appreciation  of  God's  goodness  and  care  over 
His  creatures — falls  as  far  short  of  giving  the  true  idea  of 
the  extent  and  beneficial  exercise  of  God's  goodness,  as 
weak  man  falls  short  of  God's  perfection.  God,  in  dis- 
pensing happiness  to  His  creatures,  goes  to  the  extreme 
bounds  that  is  well  for  them,  but  never  beyond.  God, 
knowing  all  things,  does  all  things  with  a  perfection 
beyond  man's  conception.  Neither  Father,  nor  any  other 


156  ONE  RELIGION:   MANY  CREEDS. 

human  idea  or  figure  of  speech,  can  fully  represent  God's 
goodness  to  His  creatures.  Jesus  says  truly,  "  there  is 
none  good  but  God." 

This  view  of  divine  government  involves  a  much  more 
elevated  idea  and  worship  of  God,  than  any  other.  The 
perfect  foreknowledge  and  power  of  God  enabled  Him  so 
to  constitute  man,  and  to  ordain  such  laws  for  his  govern- 
ment, as  to  meet  the  exact  requirements  under  every 
possible  contingency,  without  addition,  amendment,  altera- 
tion, or  abatement.  In  this  perfect  work  is  the  strongest 
possible  manifestation  of  God's  equal  justice  and  goodness 
to  all  men.  The  high  and  the  humble  are  alike  amenable 
to  His  unalterable  laws ;  and  those  laws  are  in  exact 
accordance  with  man's  best  interests. 


INTRODUCTION  TO  BIBLE  CRITICISM. 


GOD'S  instructions  to  man  through  Nature,  in  relation 
to  his  duties  here,  are  so  plain  and  unmistakable  that 
they  cannot  but  be  understood  alike  by  all  men,  in  all 
ages  of  the  world.  Hence  the  inference  is  irresistible 
that  whatever  is  claimed  to  be  a  revelation  from  God  in 
relation  to  man's  duty,  whether  in  and  through  the  Bible, 
by  miracles,  or  through  any  other  means  whatsover,  if  it 
be  not  so  plain  and  devoid  of  obscurity  as  to  be  understood, 
in  this  way,  by  all  men,  cannot  have  emanated  from  God. 

No  man  is  bound  to  accept,  as  true,  any  averment  in 
the  name  of  religion,  which  is  repugnant  to  the  dictates 
of  his  own  conscience,  or  inconsistent  with  the  justice  and 
goodness  of  God.  It  was  never  intended  that  anything 
should  be  received  as  infallibly  true,  except  that  which 
we  perceive  intuitively,  or  which  is  palpable  from  obser- 
vation, or  subject  to  unmistakable  demonstration. 

The  character  of  the  proof  of  the  three  following  assump- 
tions is  such  that  universal  assent  is  given  to  them ;  first, 
the  truth  of  the  existence  of  the  One  God,  Jehovah ; 
second,  the  immortality  of  the  soul ;  third,  that  it  is 
man's  duty  and  interest  to  conform  to>  the  moral,  and 
other  laws  pertaining  to  his  being. 

Strong  conclusions  ought  not  to  be  drawn  from  impro- 
bable statements  or  imperfect  premises.  God  requires 


158  ONE  RELIGION:  MANY  CREEDS. 

that  we  should  believe  only  so  much  as  can  be  fairly 
deduced  from  the  premises,  or  only  so  much  as  the  credi- 
bility of  the  statement  warrants. 

God  has  given  us  our  mental  faculties  to  enable  us  to 
discriminate  between  truth  and  error,  and  he  who  makes 
not  this  use  of  them  arrives  at  truth,  if  at  all,  by  mere 
chance. 

We  cannot  come  to  a  full  conviction  of  the  truth  of  a 
proposition,  except  on  evidence  which  we  deem  full  and 
infallible.  Every  substantial  structure  must  have  a  foun- 
dation proportionally  substantial. 

Maintaining  these  axioms,  we  now  proceed  to  remark 
upon  the  Bible,  assuming  that  if  in  its  entire  scope,  it  be 
a  true  revelation  from  God,  as  Christian  theology  claims 
it  to  be — whether  its  contents  be  derived  from  natural  or 
supernatural  sources,  or  in  part  from  each — there  should 
be  perfect  harmony  throughout.  No  one  can,  consistently, 
object  to  subjecting  the  claimed  truth  of  the  Bible  to  the 
most  rigid  test,  either  by  comparing  its  various  parts,  one 
with  the  other,  or  with  the  established  facts  of  Nature,  or 
with  the  moral  consciousness  of  man ;  or  by  any  other 
available  mode  of  investigation.  The  Bible  should  be 
able  to  withstand  the  most  rigid  scrutiny,  when  viewed 
in  connection  with  whatever  truths  may  serve  to  throw 
light  upon  it ;  and  it  should  be  proof  against  such  logical 
deductions  as  may  be  brought  to  bear  against  it. 

We  believe  the  Bible  to  be  true,  only  so  far  as  its 
teachings  are  in  accordance  with  the  teachings  of  God  to 
all  mankind,  through  their  natural  faculties,  holding  that 
there  is  no  such  thing  as  supernatural  revelation.  We 
believe  also  that  ail  pretended  deviations  from  the  order 
which  God  established  at  the  beginning  are  unproved, 
and  have  their  origin  and  advocacy,  in  human  ignorance 


VAGUENESS  OF  PROPHECIES.  159 

or  fraud.  Evidence  of  this  is  furnished  most  abundantly 
in  Bible  record,  as  we  shall  attempt  to  show.  Bible 
authority  will  also  be  claimed  as  legitimate,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  controverting  dogmas  and  doctrines  that  are  pro- 
fessedly founded  on  its  contents. 


VAGUENESS  OF  PROPHECIES. 

All  the  prophecies,  and  most  of  the  parables  of  Jesus, 
are  so  extremely  vague  and  uncertain  in  their  meaning 
(if  any  meaning  they  have)  as  to  be  susceptible  of  innu- 
merable interpretations,  all  equally  plausible,  if  compared 
one  with  another ;  and  yet  not  one  of  the  constructions 
put  upon  the  Bible  text,  is  sufficiently  plain  to  be  for  a 
moment  relied  on  as  a  guide  to  that  duty,  and  faith  upon 
which,  the  churches  aver,  hangs  man's  eternal  welfare. 
And  even  those  portions  of  the  Bible,  which  are  less 
obscure  than  some  to  which  we  have  alluded,  are  made  to 
have  a  far-fetched  spiritual  significance,  totally  at  vari- 
ance with  the  wording.  This  answers  a  double  purpose. 
First,  it  rescues  the  dogmas,  creeds,  and  theologies  of  the 
churches  and  clergy,  partially  from  discredit  and  over- 
throw ;  and  secondly,  whenever  a  figurative  mode  of 
expression  is  substituted  for  the  plain  meaning  of  words, 
it  operates  so  that  there  can  be  no  end  to  equivocation 
and  misrepresentation.  Hence,  each  of  the  many  sects 
finds  material  for  a  specious  building  up  its  respective 
tenets,  and  each  can  make  it  appear  that  its  church  is  the 
only  gate  through  which  to  pass  on  to  eternal  bliss.  None 
are  wanting  in  zeal  in  pushing  their  peculiar  views,  (all 
of  which  depart  more  or  less  from  the  early  teachings  of 


160  ONE  RELIGION:  MANY  CREEDS. 

Jesus,)  solely  for  the  love  of  the  dear  people ;  and  yet 
they  are  ever  mindful  of  the  toll  which  the  wayfarer  must 
pay  at  their  gate.  Let  us  look  at  a  few  examples  of  this 
mode  of  interpretation. 

The  plan  of  salvation  taught  by  the  Churches,  is 
through  faith  in  the  divinity  of  Jesus.  This  involves  the 
question  whether  the  Prophets  were  or  were  not  super- 
naturally  endowed,  and  enabled  to  designate,  centuries 
beforehand,  the  identical  person  who  afterwards  was 
claimed  to  be  both  God  and  man,  co-equal  with  Jehovah  ; 
and  whether  Jesus  was  he  whom  they  designated  as  that 
person. 

In  order  to  prove  that  he  was,  resort  is  had  to  compli- 
cated prophecies,  visions,  dark  sayings,  and  dreams,  all  of 
them  most  vague  and  uncertain  in  their  interpretation — 
if  indeed  they  have  any  definite  meaning.  This  very 
much  confuses  church  teaching  ;  but  it  holds  church-goers 
in  wonderment  and  awe,  at  the  profundity  of  the  Teacher 
who  claims  to  penetrate  and  expound  this  deep,  and  to 
them  unfathomable,  system — a  system  from  which  it  is 
claimed  that  most  vital  truths  are  extracted,  and  without  a 
knowledge  of  which  truths,  and  the  aid  of  their  Teachers, 
they — the  less  knowing — are  led  to  believe  that  they 
would  be  irrevocably  lost. 

As  to  the  visions,  dreams,  and  prophetic  utterances  of 
mere  men,  as  mediums  for  promulgating  laws  that  are  to 
be  accepted  and  binding  on  other  men,  some  few  remarks 
may  be  pertinent.  A  man  declares  that  God  has  super- 
naturally  revealed  to  him  a  new  law,  to  be  obeyed  by  all 
other  men ;  and  that  God  has  attached  to  the  neglect  of 
said  law  the  penalty  of  everlasting  torment.  Now  how 
can  we  know  this  to  be  true,  without  supernatural  revela- 
tion, to  assure  us  that  the  prophet  himself  bears  a  true 


SUPERNATURAL  INSPIRATION  INCREDIBLE.     161 

message  from  God?  It  is  the  essence  of  a  law,  that  he 
who  is  commanded  to  obey,  should  have  a  knowledge  of 
the  authority  of  him  who  promulgates  that  law.  But 
there  is  no  intuition  or  natural  sense  within  us  tending  to 
the  recftgnition  of  these  prophecies,  utterances,  dreams, 
and  visions,  as  being  from  God.  Hence  we  are  not 
bound  to  obey  what  is  called  supernatural  revelations, 
having  no  reliable  evidence  of  their  truth,  further  than 
the  mere  assertion  of  him  who  claims  to  have  a  message 
from  God. 

Now,  if  God  ever  speaks  to  man  supernaturally,  (which 
we  feel  assured  he  never  does,)  the  fact  can  only  be  known 
by  those  to  whom  God  has  so  spoken.  No  man  can  pos- 
sibly bring  home  to  another's  understanding,  how  he  can 
have  been  spoken  to  directly  and  supernaturally,  unless 
the  one  to  whom  he  addresses  himself  has  also  been 
spoken  to  supernaturally.  If  a  man  perceive  the  course 
which  he  supposes  to  be  proper  for  himself  and  others  to 
pursue,  through  his  intuition,  conscience  or  natural  sense, 
it  is  easy  to  explain  to  another  how  God  communicated 
this,  His  will,  because  God  has  in  like  manner  so  commu- 
nicated with  all  men.  In  this  way  we  can  give  more  or 
less  credit  to  communications,  coming  through  others, 
when  they  say  that  those  communications  were  received 
in  a  natural  way :  yet  only  when  they  bear  evidence  of 
having  been  so  received,  and  in  proportion  to  the  credi- 
bility of  the  person ;  lind  so  far  as  the  character  of  what 
is  communicated  may  be  consistent  with  reason.  But  if 
a  man  says  he  has  been  supernaturally  inspired  to  com- 
municate God's  will  to  men,  and  he  communicates  that 
which  is  a  new  thing,  unheard  of  before  by  any  one, 
strange,  and  not  in  itself  in  conformity  with  man's  natural 
reason,  intuitions,  instincts,  and  conscience — is  it  obli- 
11 


162  ONE  RELIGION:    MANY  CREEDS. 

gatory  on  any  second  person  to  shape  his  conduct,  in 
accordance  with  such  pretended  supernatural  communica- 
tion ?  What  possible  claim  can  such  a  man  have  on  the 
credulity  of  others  as  having  truly  received  from  God  a 
correct  exposition  of  His  will  ? 

God  has  shown — and  beyond  the  ability  of  man  to 
throw  a  shadow  of  doubt  on  the  subject — that  He  makes 
His  will  and  laws,  for  the  government  of  all  lower 
animals,  perfectly  efficient.  His  ends  and  purposes, 
through  the  instincts  and  intuitions  implanted  in  each 
respective  race,  at  the  first,  operating  uniformly  and  uni- 
versally, are,  we  have  a  right  to  conclude,  exactly  suited 
to  the  bringing  about  of  the  results  which  He  intended  at 
the  creation.  That  this  analogy  holds  good  in  relation  to 
man,  may  be  doubted  by  some,  but  cannot  be  disproved. 
No  good  reason  can  be  advanced  why  God  should  govern 
all  the  lower  animals  by  a  mode  entirely  in  accordance 
with  His  perfect  foreknowledge  and  infinite  power,  and 
yet  govern  mankind  in  a  way  most  palpably  inferior,  so 
much  so  as  to  require  (according  to  popular  theology)  that 
each  one  of  the  human  family,  should  report  to  God  by 
words  of  mouth,  such  special  amendments  to  his  general 
laws  as  they  may  think  necessary  to  their  individual  wel- 
fare. Now  this  is  equivalent  to  attributing  to  God  an 
absence  o/  that  foresight,  power  and  infinite  perfection 
which  He  has  made  so  manifest  throughout  all  His  work. 
We  are,  therefore,  under  the  thorough  conviction,  that 
God  governs  man  by  His  immutable  laws,  first  estab- 
lished, operating  alike  upon  every  individual,  for  his  best 
interest,  and  requiring  no  alteration  or  amendment.  This, 
alone  is  consistent  with  God's  foreknowledge,  justice, 
power,  goodness  and  majesty. 


FAILURE  OF  PRECISE  PREDICTIONS.  163 

All  the  prophecies  which  admit  of  a  definite  construc- 
tion, both  as  to  the  things  predicted  and  the  time  of  their 
coming  to  pass,  have  entirely  failed  to  come  to  pass.  The 
following  furnishes  an  example  :  And  as  he  sat.  upon  the 
Mount  of  Olives,  the  disciples  came  unto  him  privately, 
saying:  "  Tell  us  when  shall  these  things  be,  and  what 
shall  be  the  sign  of  thy  coming,  and  of  the  end  of  the 
world  ?"  (Matthew  xxiv.  3.)  The  answer  to  these  ques- 
tions, we  may  fairly  infer  is  contained  in  the  following 
language  made  use  of  by  Jesus  :  "  Immediately  after  the 
tribulation  of  those  days  shall  the  sun  be  darkened,  and 
the  moon  shall  not  give  her  light,  and  the  stars  shall  fall 
from  heaven,  and  the  powers  of  the  heavens  shall  be 
shaken.  And  then  shall  appear  the  Son  of  man  in 
heaven,  and  then  shall  all  the  tribes  of  the  earth  mourn, 
and  they  shall  see  the  Son  of  man  coming  in  the  clouds  of 
heaven  with  power  and  great  glory.  And  he  shall  send 
his  angels  with  a  great  sound  of  a  trumpet ;  and  they 
shall  gather  together  his  elect  from  the  four  winds,  from 
one  end  of  heaven  to  the  other.  Now  learn  a  parable  of 
the  fig  tree.  When  his  branch  is  yet  tender  and  putteth 
forth  leaves,  ye  know  that  summer  is  nigh.  So  likewise 
ye,  when  ye  shall  see  all  these  things,  know  that  it  is 
near,  even  at  the  doors.  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  This 
generation  shall  not  pass  till  all  these  things  be  fulfilled." 
(Matthew  xxiv.  29,  34.)  And  again:  "Verily  I  say 
unto  you,  There  be  some  standing  here  which  shall  not 
taste  of  death  until  they  see  the  Son  of  man  coming  in  his 
kingdom."  (Matthew  xvi.  28.)  Now  these  prophecies 
admit  .of  no  prevarication  or  shuffling,  as  is  the  case  with 
most  of  them ;  and  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  when 
Jesus  made  the  prediction,  that  His  second  coming  in 
person  in  the  clouds  of  heaven,  with  power  and  great 


164  ONE  RELIGION  :  MANY  CREEDS. 

glory,  should  take  place  before  the  generation  of  men  to 
whom  He  was  then  speaking  should  all  pass  away,  he 
fully  believed  it  would  be  fulfilled  within  the  prescribed 
time,  which  is  distinctly  marked  in  the  most  unmistakable 
terms.  The  failure  is  complete.  No  person  'can  argue 
to  the  contrary,  with  any  show  of  candor.  This,  of  itself, 
in  all  fairness,  is  fatal  to  the  pretensions  of  Jesus'  divinity, 
and  is  highly  damaging  to  all  His  claims  based  upon  the 
prophecies  of  tbe  Old  Testament.  Strauss  remarks  on 
this  subject;  "Here  we  stand  face  to  face,  with  a  deci- 
sive point.  The  ancient  Church  clung  to  this  part  of  the 
doctrine  of  Jesus,  in  literal  signification,  nay,  it  was,  pro- 
perly speaking,  built  upon  this  foundation,  since  without 
the  expectation  of  His  near  return,  no  Christian  whatever, 
would  have  come  into  existence.  For  us,  Jesus  exists 
only  as  a  human  being.  To  a  human  being  no  such  thing 
as  he  here  prophesied  of  himself,  could  happen.  If  he 
did  prophesy  it  of  himself,  and  expect  it  himself,  it  proves 
that  he  conceived  himself  to  be  that  which  he  was  not." 
"All  these  things  spake  Jesus  unto  the  multitude  in 
parables ;  and  without  a  parable  spake  he  not  unto  them  : 
That  it  might  be  fulfilled  which  was  spoken  by  the 
prophet,  saying,  I  will  open  my  mouth  in  parables  ;  I  will 
utter  things  which  have  been  kept  secret  from  the  foun- 
dation of  the  world." — Matthew  xiii.  34,  35.  Here  he, 
who  is  claimed  as  God,  is  represented  as  making  it  a 
studied  point  to  shape  his  conduct  in  accordance  with 
prophecy.  But  while  Jesus  shaped  his  sayings  and  con- 
duct specially  with  a  view  of  making  them  thus  conform, 
his  followers  put  a  construction  on  them  not  warranted  by 
the  text,  and  thus  gained  for  him  that  credence  without 
which  he  would  not  now  stand  before  Christendom  as  he 
does. 


PARABLE  OF  THE  LOST  SHEEP.  165 

Now,  as  to  the  parable  of  the  Lost  Sheep :  "Then  drew 
near  unto  him  all  the  publicans  and  sinners,  for  to  hear 
him.  And  the  Pharisees  and  Scribes  murmured,  saying, 
This  man  receiveth  sinners  and  eateth  with  them.  And 
he  spake  this  parable  unto  them,  saying,  What  man  of 
you,  having  an  hundred  sheep,  if  he  lost  one,  doth  not 
leave  the  ninety  and  nine  in  the  wilderness,  and  go  after 
that  which  is  lost  until  he  find  it?  And  when  he  hath 
found  it,  he  layeth  it  on  his  shoulders,  rejoicing.  And 
when  he  cometh  home,  he  calleth  together  his  friends  and 
neighbors,  saying  unto  them,  Rejoice  with  me,  for  I  have 
found  my  sheep  which  was  lost.  I  say  unto  you,  that 
likewise  joy  shall  be  in  Heaven  over  one  sinner  that 
repenteth,  more  than  over  ninety  and  nine  just  persons 
which  need  no  repentance." — Luke  xv.  1,  11.  This 
teaching  is  of  doubtful  utility,  if  nothing  more.  It  indi- 
cates that  a  person's  character  is  elevated  by  wrong-doing. 
God's  mode  of  reclaiming  the  erring  is  by  shewing  them 
their  folly  through  the  upbraidings  of  conscience  or  by 
other  punishments,  thereby  producing  a  sense  of  degrada- 
tion or  pain  and  unhappiness.  This  produces  repentance 
and  amended  ways  by  necessity,  sooner  or  later,  and 
always  in  God's  good  time,  which  we  deem  better  than 
rejoicing  over  the  sinner,  since  it  is  God's  mode  of  train- 
ing to  virtue.  It  is  obvious  that  God's  mode  is  directly 
opposed  to  the  deductions  of  Jesus  from  the  parable  on 
this  subject. 

Again :  the  Parable  of  the  Prodigal  Son :  "  Father,  I 
have  sinned  against  heaven  and  in  thy  sight,  and  am  no 
more  worthy  to  be  called  thy  son.  *  *  *  But  the  father 
said  to  his  servants,  bring  forth  the  best  robe,  and  put  it 
on  him,  and  put  a  ring  on  his  hand,  and  shoes  on  his  feet. 
And  bring  hither  the  fatted  calf  and  kill  it ;  and  let  us 


166  ONE  RELIGION :  MANY  CREEDS. 

eat  and  be  merry.  Now  his  elder  son  was  in  the  field  : 
and  as  he  came  and  drew  nigh  to  the  house,  he  heard 
music  and  dancing :  And  he  called  one  of  the,  servants, 
and  asked  what  these  things  meant.  And  he  said  unto 
him,  thy  brother  is  come,  and  thy  father  hath  killed  the 
fatted  calf,  because  he  hatli  received  him  safe  and  sound. 
And  he  was  angry,  and  would  not  go  in :  therefore  came 
his  father  out  and  entreated  him.  And  he  answering, 
said  to  his  father,  Lo,  these  many  years  do  I  serve  thee, 
neither  transgressed  I  at  any  time  thy  commandment ; 
and  yet  thou  never  gavest  me  a  kid,  that  I  might  make 
merry  with  my  friends.  But  as  soon  as  this  thy  son  was 
come,  which  hath  devoured  thy  living  with  harlots,  thou 
hast  killed  for  him  the  fatted  calf." — Luke  xv.  21,  23, 
25,  30. — This  represents  wrong-doing;  and  repentance 
therefor,  as  being  more  commendable  than  a  uniform 
course  of  correct  conduct.  This  is  not  in  accordance  with 
the  self-respect  which  God  has  implanted  within  the 
nature  of  man,  neither  is  it  in  accordance  with  the  aggre- 
gate sense  of  right.  The  human  father  of  the  parable 
may  be  supposed  to  be  in  doubt  as  to  whether  his  erring 
son  would  ever  return  to  duty  and  to  his  home,  and  may 
be  considered  as  acting  but  the  natural  part  of  a  Father, 
in  rejoicing  at  the  unexpected  return  of  his  wayward  child. 
But  God,  knowing  and  controlling  all  things,  can  never 
(like  the  human  father)  be  in  doubt,  can  never  be  sur- 
prised, can  never  rejoice  over  an  unexpected  occurrence. 
Hence,  the  Parable  here  in  view,  is  inappropriate  when 
applied  in  this  way. 

Furthermore :  "  There  was  in  a  city  a  judge,  which 
feared  not  God  neither  regarded  man.  And  there  was  a 
widow  in  that  city ;  and  she  came  unto  him  saying, 
Avenge  me  of  mine  adversary.  And  he  would  not  for 


ERRONEOUS  DEDUCTIONS.  167 

awhile  but  afterward  he  said  within  himself;  though  I 
fear  not  God,  nor  regard  man,  Yet,  because  this  widow 
troubleth  me,  I  will  avenge  her,  lest  by.  her  continual 
coming  she  weary  me.  And  the  Lord  said,  hear  what 
the  unjust  judge  saith." 

"And  shall  not  God  avenge  his  own  elect  which  cry  day 
and  night  unto  him,  though  he  bear  long  with  them? 
I  tell  you  he  will  avenge  them  speedily." — Luke  xviii. 
2,  3,  4i  5,  6,  7,  8. 

Now  the  prominent  teaching  of  this  parable  is  that  God 
will  avenge  only  his  own  elect,  and  that,  for  the  sole 
purpose  of  getting  rid  of  the  annoyance  of  their  long- 
continued  importunities.  But  how  much  does  this  view 
conflict  with  that  unbounded  goodness  and  long  forbear- 
ance which  all  Christians  of  the  present  day  ascribe  to 
God  !  If  it  be  said  that  it  was  .designed  to  applaud  and 
encourage  long-continued  pleading  and  importuning  for 
the  redress  of  grievances,  or  the  avenging  of  our  adversa- 
ries, then  we  answer  that  it  is  not  in  accordance  with  the 
following  teaching  of  Jesus  :  "  Your  Father  knoweth  what 
things  ye  have  need  of  before  ye  ask  Him."  "Use  no 
vain  repetitions."  "Not  every  one  that  saith  unto  me, 
Lord,  Lord,  shall  enter  into  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven,  but 
he  that  doeth  the  will  of  my  Father  which  is  in  Heaven." 
All  which  passages  go  to  prove,  that  it  is  his  works,  and 
not  much  speaking  that  are  acceptable  to  God. 

And  still  another :  When  a  certain  rich  ruler  asked 
Jesus  what  he  must  do  to  inherit  "  eternal  life,"  his  reply 
was  to  this  effect :  "If  thou  wilt  be  perfect,  go  and  sell 
all  that  thou  hast  and  give  it  to  the  poor,  and  thou  shalt 
have  treasure  in  Heaven  ;  and  come  and  follow  me.  For, 
verily,  I  say  unto  you,  A  rich  man  shall  hardly  enter  into 
into  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven." — Matthew  xix.,  21,  23. 


168  ONE  RELIGION :  MANY  CREEDS. 

• 
Again,  "It  is  easier  for  a  camel  to  go  through  the  eye  of 

a  needle,  than  for  a  rich  man  to  enter  into  the  Kingdom 
of  God.  When  his  disciples  heard  this  they  were  exceed- 
ingly amazed,  saying,  Who  then  can  be  saved?" — Mat- 
thew xix.  24,  25.  And  again :  In  the  parable  of  the 
rich  man  and  Lazarus,  the  following  occurs :  "  Son, 
remember  that  thou  in  thy  life-time  receivedst  thy  good 
things,  and  likewise  Lazarus  evil  things ;  but  now  he  is 
comforted,  and  thou  art  tormented." — Luke  xvi.  25. 
"  Blessed  be  ye  poor,  for  yours  is  the  Kingdom  of  God." 
"  But  woe  unto  you  that  are  rich,  for  ye  have  received 
your  consolation." — Luke  vi.  20,  24.  The  teaching  of 
these  parables  and  sayings  can  have  but  one  object,  that 
is,  to  represent  poverty  and  suffering  as  virtues,  and.  the 
true  road  to  Heaven,  and  to  make  riches  an  insurmounta- 
ble obstacle  to  future  happiness.  Self-preservation  is  the 
strongest  law  which  God  has  implanted  within  man  ;  and 
out  of  this  grows  the  incentive  to  acquire,  and  store  up 
the  necessaries  and  luxuries  of  life  ;  the  legitimate  doing 
of  which  increases  a  man's  usefulness  to  himself  and 
fellow-men.  This  is  so  universally  recognized,  that  the 
instructions  of  Jesus  on  the  subject  are  entirely  disre- 
garded by  the  disciples  of  Christianity,  not  excepting  the 
clergy,  which  practically  falsifies  the  Bible,  whereof  it  is 
said  every  word  must  be  received  as  truth. 

Again  :  "  These  twelve  Jesus  sent  forth,  and  com- 
manded them,  saying,  Go  not  into  the  way  of  the  Gen- 
tiles, and  into  any  city  of  the  Samaritans  enter  ye  not ; 
But  go  rather  to  the  lost  sheep  of  the  House  of  Israel." — 
Matthew  x.  5,  6.  "  I  thank  thee,  0,  Father,"  said 
Jesus,  "  because  thou  hast  hid  these  things  from  the  wise 
and  prudent,  and  hast  revealed  them  unto  babes." — Mat- 
thew xi.  25.  This  is  inconsistent  with  the  idea  that 


ERRONEOUS  DEDUCTIONS.  169 

Jesus'  mission  was  to  raise  all  who  fell  through  Adam, 
and  of  his  being  the  Saviour  of  all  mankind. 

Again  :  "  But  I  say  unto  you,  Love  your  enemies, 
bless  them  that  curse  you,  do  good  to  them  that  hate  you, 
and  pray  for  them  which  despitefully  use  you  and  perse- 
cute you." — Matthew  v.  44.  "Ye  have  heard  that  iL 
hath  been  said,  an  eye  for  an  eye,  and  a  tooth  for  a 
tooth.  But  I  say  unto  you,  That  ye  resist  not  evil ;  but 
whosoever  shall  smite  thee  on  thy  right  cheek  turn  to 
him  the  other  also,  And,  if  any  man  will  sue  thee  at  the 
law,  and  take  away  thy  coat,  let  him  have  thy  cloak  also. 
And,  whosoever  shall  compel  thee  to  go  a  mile,  go  with 
him  twain.  Give  to  him  that  asketh  thee,  and  from  him 
that  would  borrow  of  thee  turn  not  thou  away." — Mat- 
thew v.  38,  42.  These  injunctions  are  at  variance  with 
the  well-defined  characteristics  of  human  nature,  and  con- 
sequently unsuited  to  the  practices  of  every-day  life, 
inconsistent  with  self-preservation,  and  a  becoming  dig- 
nity and  self-respect. 

Lastly  :  "  Now,  when  Jesus  was  risen  early  the  first 
day  of  the  week,  he  appeared  first  to  Mary  Magdalene. 
*  *  *  Afterward  he  appeared  unto  the  eleven.  *  *  * 
And  he  said  unto  them.  Go  ye  into  all  the  world,  and 
preach  the  Gospel  to  every  creature.  He  that  believ- 
eth  and  is  baptized,  shall  be  saved,  but  he  that  believ- 
eth  not  shall  be  damned.  And  these  signs  shall  follow 
them  that  believe.  In  my  name  shall  they  cast  out 
devils  ;  they  shall  speak  with  new  tongues.  They  shall 
take  up  serpents ;  and  if  they  drink  any  deadly  thing  it 
shall  not  hurt  them ;  they  shall  lay  hands  on  the  sick, 
and  they  shall  recover." — Mark  xvi.  9,  14,  16,  17,  18. 
Now,  since  nothing  is  said  to  the  contrary,  it  is  fair  to 
presume  that  these  things  were  spoken  by  Jesus  as  per- 


170  ONE  RELIGION:   MANY  CREEDS. 

taming  to  all  future  time.  But  will  any  one  pretend  that 
in  these  days  there  is  a  verification  of  the  truth  of  these 
declarations  ?  Rather,  is  it  not  apparent  that  the  reverse 
is  the  case  ? 

A  man  born  in  a  Mohammedan  country  believes  in 
Mohammed.  A  Chinese  believes  in  Confucius;  and  so 
with  the  followers  of  every  other  system  of  theology  on 
the  face  of  the  globe.  All,  or  most  of  the  founders  of 
the  different  systems,  claim  supernatural  origin  and 
endowments  for  themselves,  or  are  believed  to  have  pos- 
sessed them,  by  their  followers.  People  who  are  educated 
to  believe  in  a  particular  faith,  think  that  on  such  belief 
depends  their  salvation.  Now,  could  we  have  any  better 
proof  than  this,  that  one  has  as  little  foundation  as  the 
other,  to  rest  upon — not  even  excepting  the  Christian 
theology  ?  There  is  no  merit  or  demerit,  no  salvation  or 
condemnation,  either  for  belief  or  non-belief,  in  any  of 
these  theologies.  God  is  too  just  and  good  to  ordain  that 
the  doom  of  an  immortal  soul  shall  be  determined  by  the 
merest  accidental  circumstance,  in  no  way  involving  the 
voluntary  action  or  accountability  of  the  individual  soul. 

The  early  teachings  of  Jesus  are  comprised  in  his 
enjoining  the  duty  of  love  to  God  and  man,  which  he 
repeatedly  says  is  all  that  is  necessary  for  salvation. 
These  teachings,  however  good  in  themselves,  had  nothing 
new  or  peculiar  in  them,  but  were  taught,  substantially, 
and  with  equal,  if  not  with  greater  force  and  fullness,  by 
Zoroaster,  Confucius,  Buddha,  Mohammed,  and  all  the 
other  founders  of  theology  and  great  Teachers  of  religion 
and  morals.  Did  not  the  Greek  and  Roman  philosophers, 
Aristotle,  Socrates,  Plato,  Democritus,  Pythagoras,  Epi- 
curus, Pindar,  and  Solon,  recognize  as  a  rule  of  conduct, 
the  great  principles  of  moral  deportment  contained  in  the 


CHRISTIANITY  NOT  ORIGINAL.  171 

early  teachings  of  Christ,  to  wit,  love  of  God  and  good 
works  ?  Indeed,  all  nations  on  the  face  of  the  globe,  as 
far  back  as  history  will  carry  us,  have  in  substance,  advo- 
cated and  been  governed  by  this  religion,  which  is  com- 
mon to  all. 

Every  doctrine,  creed,  theology,  dogma  or  faith,  that 
has  ever  been  claimed  to  be,  or  which  has  gone  by  the 
name  of  religion,  other  than  natural  religion,  has  been 
embraced  by  a  portion,  only,  of  the  different  nations  and 
peoples  of  the  earth ;  springing  up  during  one  age  of  the 
world,  gone  in  the  next.  On  the  contrary,  all  agree,  and 
at  all  times  and  in  all  places,  that  love  to  God  and  love  to 
man,  and  the  conforming  to  the  moral  law,  is  the  bounden 
duty  of  every  accountable  member  of  the  human  family. 
But  here  the  boundary  of  harmony  on  religious  subjects 
is  reached.  This  universal  religion  has  been,  and  is, 
preached  and  urged  upon  the  observance  of  mankind,  in 
connection  with  thousands  of  different  doctrines,  creeds, 
theologies,  ceremonies,  and  forms,  which  are  claimed  as 
essential  parts  of  worship :  each  sect  contending  for  its 
own  peculiar  views,  in  relation  to  doctrines,  creeds,  and 
theologies,  with  such  pertinacity  and  bitterness,  as  to 
cause  wars,  that  have  resulted  in  the  massacre  of  millions 
upon  millions  of  human  beings,  and  that  continue  to  be 
the  source  of  most  lamentable  contentious  and  crimina- 
tions, and  of  irreligious  conduct  generally.  It  is  submitted 
therefore,  whether  this  state  of  facts,  which  is  verified  by 
history,  does  not  indicate,  unmistakably,  what  it  is  that 
constitutes  the  religion  which  God  intended  and  insured 
for  universal  adoption  by  nations  and  individuals,  or,  in 
other  words,  whether  it  does  not  furnish  a  sure  criterion, 
by  means  of  which  the  wheat  and  the  chaff  may  be  dis- 
tinguished each  from  the  other. 


172  ONE  RELIGION:  MANY  CREEDS. 

The  principal  written  codes  connected  with  the  worship 
of  God  in  various  countries,  and  which  have  been  more 
or  less  the  cause  of  disastrous  wars  and  disgraceful  feuds 
ampng  men,  are  the  following :  the  Zend  A vesta  of  the 
Parsees ;  the  Vini  Pidimot  of  the  Burmese  Empire  ;  the 
Rig  Veda  of  the  Hindoos ;  the  Koran  of  the  Mahomme- 
dans ;  and  the  Bible  of  the  Christians.  But  we  would 
ask,  is  it  at  all  a  part  of  the  duty  which  God  exacts  of 
man,  to  pay  homage  to,  or  to  worship,  any  of  the  persons, 
whom  these  books  or  records  glorify  ?  Godama,  Mahomet, 
Zoroaster,  Buddha,  and  Jesus,  all  claim  to  be  either  gods 
or  supernaturally  endowed  by  God.  Which  of  them  shall 
we  acknowledge  ?  We  would  submit  also,  that,  whereas 
the  Sun,  the  Moon,  the  Stars,  and  many  other  symbols, 
have  been  adopted  by  various  sects,  either  as  substantial 
parts  or  as  adjuncts  of  worship,  so  also  does  the  Christian 
theology  require  divine  honor  to  be  paid  to  the  Virgin 
Mary,  and  that  three  Gods  be  worshipped  instead  of  the 
One  living  and  true  God.  Wherein,  we  ask,  lies  the  dif- 
ference ?  May  there  not  be  a  good  side  and  an  evil  side, 
in  all  these  cases  alike — good,  inasmuch  as  the  symbol 
leads  up  to  the  God  above  it — evil,  whenever  and  wher- 
ever devotion  stops  short  at  the  symbol? 

It  is  very  important  that  the  truth  on  this  subject 
should  be  determined,  and  be  set  forth  by  those  among  us 
who  make  a  profession  of  teaching.  But,  bound  by  the 
rules  of  their  Church  and  constrained  by  habit,  the  clergy 
advocate  a  certain  set  of  special  tenets,  even  whilst  the 
most  learned  and  sensible  men  among  them  acknowledge, 
in  their  own  hearts,  that  what  may  be  called  the  techni- 
calities  of  their  faith  are  not  based  on  reliable  evidence. 
Intelligent  observation  of  God's  dealings  with  the  human 
race  around  them,  and  a  careful  study  of  the  record  of 


SIMPLICITY  OF  TRUE  RELIGION.  173 

i 

past  ages,  lead  them  to  the  just  conclusion  that  the  reli- 
gion which  God  teaches  is  love  for  Himself  and  His  laws, 
and  the  golden  rule,  "  Do  unto  others  as  you  would  they 
should  do  unto  you."  Yet  they  lack  the  moral  courage 
to  preach  this  sublime  and  simple  doctrine,  preferring,  in 
deference  to  custom  and  in  fear  of  giving  offence,  to  reit- 
erate Biblical  stories  that  are  disproved  by  investigation, 
or  that  have  much  in  common  with  other  creeds  which 
they  affect  to  despise. 

And  yet  how  pathetically  do  these  same  Christian 
clergymen  appeal  for  pecuniary  aid,  to  the  end  that  they 
may  convert  the  Heathen  !  Their  object,  meanwhile,  is 
not  to  promulgate  the  practical  religion  which  Jesus 
taught  with  such  wonderful  effect  both  by  precept  and 
example,  and  which  consists  entirely  of  love  to  God  and 
good  will  to  man  ;  neither  is  it  to  inculcate  morals  based 
on  good  works  taught  in  the  law  of  God.  It  is  their  own 
Christian  theology,  which  they  are  bent  upon  instilling 
into  the  Heathen  mind,  its  main  point  being  a  theoretical 
belief  in  man's  fall  through  Adam,  and  resurrection 
through  Jesus.  It  is  evident,  or  it  should  be,  indeed,  to 
all  reasonable  minds,  that  God  sent  His  only  true  and 
all-sufficient  religion  to  the  Heathen  in  common  with  all 
men.  Else  what  becomes  of  all  those  who  either  never 
heard  of  Jesus ;  or,  if  they  did,  have  no  more  desire  to 
believe  in  him  than  a  Christian  has  to  believe  in  Moham- 
med, or  to  become  an  Israelite? 

The  theology — for  means  of  sending  which  to  the 
Heathen  each  creed,  sect,  and  denomination  of  Christians 
so  pathetically  pleads — consists  of  dogmas  and  theologies 
tacked  on  to  the  pure  religion  of  Jesus  and  of  Nature. 
Each  has  a  different  dogma,  each  has  variations  in  its 


174  ONE  RELIGION:  MANY  CREEDS. 

faith.     How  are  the  Heathen  to  choose  between  one  and 
another  ? 

In  all  countries,  whether  Heathen  or  Christian,  there 
are  those  who  mingle  the  spurious  with  the  good  ;  conse- 
quently Heathen  teachers  have  false  gods  and  false 
theologies  of  their  own,  which  they  trade  in,  with  equal 
results  as  the  Christians.  They  see  that  the  same  is  done 
in  Christian  countries,  and  they  laugh  at  the  idea  of  a 
comparatively  small  number  of  Christians  dictating  creeds 
and  theologies  to  the  balance  of  mankind,  quadrupling 
them  in  number,  and  as  likely  to  be  right  as  themselves. 
Hence  it  is  just  as  reasonable  to  suppose,  that  the 
Heathen  should  attempt  to  benefit  Christian  communi- 
ties, by  sending  them  their  Bibles,  which  contain  moral 
codes  and  precepts  equally  as  good,  and,  in  fact,  dogmas 
and  theologies  as  ingeniously  contrived,  as  well  authen- 
ticated, and  as  plausible  in  their  claim  to  divine  origin  as 
the  Christian  Bible.  Their  oracles,  too,  whose  names  are 
taken  to  designate  the  various  theologies  which  prevail 
among  them,  have  as  valid  a  claim,  by  miracles  and  pro- 
phecies, to  supernatural  endowments  (or  to  Divinity  itself) 
as  have  the  Christian  Churches  on  behalf  of  Jesus.  But 
it  is  not  Jesus  himself,  who  is  reponsible  for  the  system 
which  has  been  engrafted  on  his  name.  It  is  his  pro- 
fessed followers  who  have  perverted  his  teaching.  His 
answer  was,  when  he  was  asked,  "  Master,  which  is  the 
great  commandment  in  the  law?"  "Thou  shalt  love  the 
Lord  thy  God  with  all  thy  heart,  and  with  all  thy  soul, 
and  with  all  thy  mind.  This  is  the  first  and  great  com- 
mandment. And  the  second  is  like  unto  it.  Thou  shalt 
love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself.  On  these  two  command- 
ments hang  all  the  law  and  the  prophets." — Matthew 
xxii,  37,  38,  39,  40.  And  when,  again,  he  was  asked, 


CHRIST'S  REAL  TEACHINGS.  175 

"  Good  Master,  what  good  thing  shall  I  do,  that  I  may 
have  eternal  life  ?"  His  answer  was,  "  Why  callest  thou 
me  good  ?  there  is  none  good  but  one,  that  is  God  :  but  if 
thou  wilt  enter  into  life,  keep  the  commandments.  He 
saith  unto  him,  which  ?  Jesus  said ;  Thou  shalt  do  no 
murder,  Thou  shalt  not  commit  adultery,  Thou  shalt  not 
steal,  Thou  shalt  not  bear  false  witness.  '  Honor  thy 
father  and  thy  mother;  and,  Thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbor 
as  thyself."— (Matthew  xix,  17,  18,  19.)  In  ail  this,  he 
docs  not  require,  but  actually  declines,  having  any  honor 
done  to  himself  as  a  condition  of  entering  into  eternal 
life.  All  that  he  requires  is,  that  a  man  should  love 
God,  the  Father,  and  do  those  good  works  which  He 
prescribes  for  him  to  do.  If  there  had  been  anything 
else,  would  not  Jesus  have  told  him  what  it  was  ?  It  was 
a  most  momentous  question  which  had  been  asked  of  him. 
It  was  necessary,  therefore,  that  he  should  be  most  pre- 
cise and  accurate  in  answering  it ;  and  yet  he  did  not  say, 
"believe  in  me;  through  me  alone,  and  the  shedding  of 
my  blood,  canst  thou  be  saved,"  but  simply,  "keep  the 
commandments."  "Not  everyone  that  saith  nnto  me, 
Lord,  Lord,  shall  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven," 
said  he,  on  another  occasion,  "  but  he  that  doeth  the  will 
of  my  Father  which  is  in  Heaven." — (Matthew  vii,  21.)  . 
And  this  will  of  the  Father  he  exemplified  in  his  own 
life.  He  "  went  about  all  the  cities  and  villages,  teach- 
ing in  their  synagogues,  and  preaching  the  gospel  of  the 
kingdom,  and  healing  every  sickness  and  every  disease 
among  the  people." — (Matthew  ix,  35.)  . 

The  worship  of  the  Father  alone,  by  good  works,  and 
not  by  praying  to  and  worshipping  him,  Jesus,  was  the 
requisite,  as  he  conceived,  for  entering  into  the  kingdom 
of  heaven.  Jesus,  in  this,  practiced  what  he  preached. 


176  ONE  RELIGION:  MANY  CREEDS. 

He  went  about  diligently  and  zealously  preaching  natural 
religion,  healing  the  sick,  and  rebuking  those  who  thought 
that  they  could  get  to  Heaven  by  crying  to  him  "  Lord, 
Lord  !"  instead  of  exhibiting  in  their  daily  conduct  a  life 
of  good  works :  so  that  we  have  the  express  authority  of 
Jesus  for  saying,  that  love  to  God  and  kind  offices  one 
toward  another  is  the  whole  duty  of  man,  which  again  is 
in  accordance  with  THE  FIRST  AND  ONLY  TRUE  RELIGION. 

Bible  descriptions  of  God  and  His  attributes  purport 
to  be  derived  from  God  Himself,  through  His  super- 
natural revelation,  to  particular  individuals.  But  this 
revelation,  if  such  it  be,  represents  God  as  intensely 
human,  both  in  form  and  character.  It  ascribes  to  Him 
many  of  the  weaknesses  and  faults,  and  much  of  the  short- 
sightedness, of  the  frailest  of  men ;  and  it  is  totally 
unlike  the  revelation  which  He  has  made  of  Himself  to 
all  men,  through  the  works  of  Nature.  He  has  written 
Himself  upon  the  broad  face  of  the  Universe,  and  in  the 
depth  of  men's  soul's,  in  such  legible  characters,  and 
established  such  laws  in  relation  to  man,  as  to  ensure 
that  His  will  shall  be  done  and  man's  happiness  secured 
in  God's  good  time.  In  addition  to  this,  He  has  por- 
trayed Himself,  in  every  phase  of  creation,  with  a  beauty 
and  grandeur,  that  man  becomes  more  and  more  capable 
of  appreciating. 

Now,  we  ask,  shall  this  sublime  record,  which  God  has 
made  of  Himself,  be  for  a  single  moment  tarnished  by  a 
forced  conjunction  with  views  of  Him  that  are  impious? 
If  so,  let  those  suffer  the  damaging  consequences,  who 
teach  such  doctrine.  Yet  we  are  told  that  these  descrip- 
tions of  the  Almighty  must  be  believed  in  as  infallibly 
true,  by  all  men,  as  a  condition  of  happiness  beyond  the 
grave.  And  what  are  they  ?  Read  what  the  writers  of 


GOD'S  EVIL  PASSIONS.  177 

the  Christian  Bible  say,  and  then  judge  for  yourselves. 
Very  few  -quotations  will  suffice  to  show  in  what  abomi- 
nable form  the  Creator  has  been  represented,  by  those 
who  declared  themselves  to  be  his  messengers. 

In  the  first  place,  he  is  represented  as  being  addicted 
to  furious  anger,  and  this  to  such  a  degree  that,  were  any 
of  his  creatures  to  manifest  the  same  disposition,  they 
would  be  looked  upon  as  monsters.  Take  the  following 
examples:  "The  fierce  anger  of  the  Lord" — Numbers, 
xxv.  4  :  "  The  anirer  of  the  Lord  shall  smoke  " — Deute- 

*  O 

ronomy,  xxix.  20 ;  "  Through  the  anger  of  the  Lord  it 
came  to  pass" — 2  Kings,  xxiv.  20;  "Let -the  Lord  be 
angry  " — Genesis,  viii.  30  ;  "And  provoked  the  Lord  to 
anger" — Judges,  ii.  12;  "The  children  of  Israel  have 
only  provoked  me  to  anger  " — Jeremiah,  xxxii.  30  ;  "And 
I  will  tread  down  the  people  in  mine  anger,  and  make 
them  drunk  in  my  fury  " — Isaiah,  Ixiii.  6. 

Hatred  and  a  fierce  thirst  for  vengeance  are  attributed 
to  him  in  a  similar  manner :  "  I  hate  robbery  for  burnt 
offerings " — Isaiah,  Ixi.  8;  "Because  the  Lord  hated 
us" — Deuteronomy,  i.  27;  "Therefore  have  I  hated 
it"— Jeremiah,  xii.  8:  "There  I  hated  them,  *  *  *  I 
will  love  them  no  more" — Hosea,  ix.  15;  "Jacob  have 
I  loved,  but  Esau  have  I  hated  " — Malachi,  i.  23.  To 
illustrate  the  Almighty's  revengeful  tendencies,  turn  to 
Exodus,  xx.  5,  where  we  are  told  that  he  will  visit  the 
iniquities  of  fathers  upon  the  children,  nay  even  upon  four 
generations  of  unborn  children ;  to  Deuteronomy,  vii.  10 ; 
"He  repay eth  them  that  hate  him  to  their  face,  to 
destroy  them;"  to  Isaiah,  xlvii.  3;  "I  will  take  ven- 
geance," Ixiii.  4,  and;  "The  day  of  vengeance  is  in 
mine  heart ;"  to  Romans,  xii.  9  ;  "  Vengeance  is  mine  ;" 
and  especially  to — 1  Samuel,  xv.  2,  3, — "  Thus  saith  the 


178  ONE  RELIGION:   MANY  CREEDS. 

Lord  of  Hosts,  I  remember  that  which  Amalek  did  to 
Israel.  *  *  *  Now  go  and  smite  Amalek,  and  utterly 
destroy  all  that  they  have,  and  spare  them  not ;  but  slay 
both  man  and  woman,  infant  and  suckling,  ox  and  sheep, 
camel  and  ass." 

Jealousy  also,  such  as  we  find  attributed  to  certain 
gods  and  goddesses  in  Pagan  mythology,  is  set  down  as 
one  of  God's  characteristics  :  "I,  the  Lord,  thy  God,  am 
a  jealous  God" — Exodus,  xx.  5;  "They  provoked  him 
to  jealousy  with  strange  gods  " — Deuteronomy,  xxxii.  16  ; 
"  He  is  a  jealous  God  " — Joshua,  xxiv.  19  ;  "  Then  will 
the  Lord  be  jealous  for  his  land  " — Joel,  ii.  18  ;  "  God  is 
jealous  and  the  Lord  revengeful  " — Nahum,  i.  2  ;  "I  am 
jealous  for  Jerusalem  " — Zechariah,  i,  14 ;  "I  will  give 
thee  blood  in  fury  and  jealousy." — Ezekiel,  xvi.  38. 

Even  ignorance  is  attributed  to  the  Almighty,  the 
words  that  follow  being  put  into  His  mouth — Genesis, 
xviii.  21 :  "  I  will  go  down  now,  and  see  whether  they 
have  done  altogether  according  to  the  cry  of  it  which  is 
come  unto  me,  and  if  not  I  will  know."  Job  also  repre- 
sents the  Omnipotent  as  condescending  to  ask  Satan  about 
His  doings,  as  if  He  were  not  also  omniscient. 

They  presume  even,  these  writers  under  so-called  inspi- 
ration, to  speak  of  His  indulgence  in  scornful  laughter ; 
sis  in  Psalm,  ii.  4,  "  He  that  sitteth  in  the  heavens  shall 
laugh,  the  Lord  shall  have  them  in  derision,"  and  again, 
lix.  8,  "  Thou,  0,  Lord,  shall  laugh  at  them,  thou 
shalt  have  all  the  heathen  in  derision." 

Fickleness  and  alternation  of  purpose,  common  human 
infirmities,  are  represented  as  among  His  peculiarities. 
In  Genesis  we  are  told  that  "  it  repented  the  Lord  that 
He  had  made  man  on  the  earth,  and  it  grieved  Him  at 
His  heart."  Yet  it  must  be  owned,  the  sacred  writers 


GOD'S   EVIL  PASSIONS.  179 

are  not  unanimous  in  attributing  to  God  this  tendency  to 
change  of  mind.  Thus,  in  Exodus,  xxxii.  14,  we  read, 
"  The  Lord  repeated  the  evil  which  He  thought  to  do 
unto  His  people  ;"  and  in  1  Samuel,  xv.  29,  "  The  strength 
of  Israel  will  not  repent,  for  He  is  not  a  man  that  He 
should  repent."  It  is  written  in  Psalms,  cxvi.  45, — "  He 
repented,  according  to  the  multitude  of  His  mercies ;"  in 
Jonah,  iii.  10,  "  God  repented  of  the  evil  that  He  had 
said ;"  and  in  Jeremiah,  xviii.  8,  "  If  a  nation  turn,  I  will 
repent  of  the  evil."  Yet  we  find  in  James,  i.  17,  "The 
Father  of  lights,  with  whom  is  no  variableness,  neither 
shadow  of  turning." 

It  would  perhaps  be  almost  sufficient  to  have  cited  the 
Lord's  alleged  repentance  over  the  superior  being  of  his 
own  creation,  which  the  same  authority  tells  us,  He  had 
pronounced  "  very  good  ;"  but  we  cannot  omit  to  remind 
the  reader  of  the  very  curious  story  of  Moses  pleading 
with  the  Lord,  as  it  stands  in  Exodus,  xxxiii.  7-14.  The 
Lord  told  Moses  that  the  Israelites  were  a  stiff-necked 
people,  given  up  to  idols,  and  announced  their  consequent 
fate  in  these  strange  words:  "Now,  therefore,  let  me 
alone,  that  my  wrath  may  wax  hot  against  them,  and 
that  I  may  consume  them."  But  Moses  was  emphatic 
and  plain-spoken  in  his  remonstrance,  for  such  it  may  be 
iustly  termed.  "Turn  from  thy  fierce  wrath,"  says  he, 
without  flinching,  "and  repent  of  thy  evil  against  thy 
people."  We  know  what  ensued;  "And  the  Lord 
repented  of  the  evil  which  he  thought  to  do  unto  his 
people." 

But  let  us  pass  on,  from  the  attempt  to  assimilate  the 
Creator  and  the  creature,  so  far  as  passions  and  sensations 
are  concerned,  and  observe  how  this  degrading  process 
has  been  applied  to  corporeal  resemblance.  Head,  feet, 


180  ONE  RELIGION:  MANY  CREEDS. 

anns,  bands,  eyes,  mouth,  nostrils,  back  and  bosom,  figure 
more  or  less  frequently — bnt  always  with  a  familiarity 
that  ought  to  be  revolting — in  the  Biblical  descriptions 
and  allusions. 

11  Ephraim  is  the  strength  of  my  head,"  says  the 
Psalmist,  Ix.  7;  Isaiah,  lix.  17,  puts  "  a  helmet  of  sal- 
vation upon  his  head  ;"  and  St.  John  the  divine — Reve- 
lations, xix.  12 — saw  in  a  vision  that  "on  his  head  were 
many  crowns."  The  footsteps  and  the  feet  of  the  Al- 
mighty are  often  referred  to;  as  in  Isaiah,  vi.  2, — "With 
twain  He  covered  his  face,  and  with  twain  He  covered  his 
feet;"  Psalm,  Ixxvii.  19,  "  Thy  footsteps  are  not  known," 
and  Ixxiv.  3,  "  Lift  up  thy  feet ;"  Revelations,  i.  15,  "His 
feet  like  unto  fine  brass."  Further  than  this,  we  find, 
Psalm,  cviii.  9, — the  homely  expression  :  "  Over  Edom 
will  I  cast  out  my  shoe,"  coupled  with  that  other  most 
undignified  phrase:  "  Moab  is  my  wash-pot." — The  arms 
of  the  Almighty  are  often  mentioned,  sometimes  as  bared 
for  the  execution  of  His  vengeful  purposes,  sometimes  as 
opened  for  sheltering  the  righteous. — The  hand  of  the 
Lord,  as  though  it  were  a  human  hand,  appears  still  more 
frequently  in  the  sacred  Scriptures. — Psalm,  Ixxv.  8 — "  In 
the  hand  of  the  Lord  there  is  a  cup,  and  the  wine  is  red." 
1  Samuel,  v.  6 — "  But  the  hand  of  the  Lord  was  heavy 
upon  them  of  Ashdod;"  Numbers,  xi.  23 — "  Is  the  Lord's 
hand  waxed  short?"  Exodus,  ix.  3 — "The  hand  is  upon 
thy  cattle;" — Psalm,  Ixxiv.  2;  "Why  withdrawest  thou 
thy  hand,  even  thy  right  hand?  Pluck  it  out  of  thy 
bosom."  This  last  citation,  serves  to  illustrate  how  the 
Lord  God  is  supposed  to  have  a  bosom,  being  more  direct 
than  that  one  in  John,  i.  18,  "The  Son  which  is  in  the 
bosom  of  the  Father." — So  constant  are  allusions  to  the 
Almighty's  mouth,  and  to  what  proceedeth  out  of  it,  that 


GOD  LIKENED  TO  MAN  CORPOREALLY.         181 

we  limit  ourselves  to  one  note-worthy  instance.  In  the 
Book  of  Numbers,  xii.  8,  God  is  made  to  say  with  refer- 
ence to  Moses  :  "  With  him  will  I  speak  mouth  to  mouth, 
even  apparently,  and  not  in  dark  speeches,  and  the  simili- 
tude of  the  Lord  shall  he  behold." — As  to  the  eyes  of 
God,  reference  to  them,  in  as  it  were  a  physical  sense,  is 
continual.  Thus,  in  Proverbs,  xv.  3,  we  read  :  "  The  eyes 
of  the  Lord  are  in  every  place,  beholding  the  evil  and  the 
good  ;"  in  Deuteronomy,  xxxii.  10 — "  He  kept  him  as  the 
apple  of  His  eye  ;"  and  in  Psalm,  xxxiv.  15, — "  The  eyes 
of  the  Lord  are  upon  the  righteous."  The  verse  last 
quoted  concludes  thus,  "  and  his  ears  are  open  unto  their 
cry,"  which  reminds  us  that  we  omitted  the  "ears,"  when 
naming  the  bodily  points  wherein  God  and  man  are  fami- 
liarly assimilated  in  the  Scriptures.  Mention  is  also  made 
of  the  Almighty's  nostrils.  "  By  the  blast  of  God  they 
perish,"  says  Job,  iv.  9 — "and  by  the  breath  of  His 
nostrils  are  they  consumed."  David,  2  Samuel,  xxii.  9, 
asserts  that,  because  God  was  wroth,  "  There  went  up  a 
smoke  out  of  His  nostrils,  and  fire  went  out  of  His  mouth, 
which  kindleth  coals."  Is  it  not  somewhat  strange,  that 
expressions,  precisely  similar,  are  applied  by  Job,  xli.  20, 
21 — to  his  description  of  the  leviathan  :-  "  Out  of  his  nos- 
trils goeth  smoke.  *  *  *  His  breath  kindleth  coals." 
Furthermore,  Isaiah,  Ixv.  5 — makes  the  Lord,  with  refer- 
ence to  "  a  rebellious  people,"  use  this  expression  :  "  These 
are  a  smoke  in  my  nose,  a  fire  that  burneth  all  the  day ;" 
and  in  Leviticus,  xxvi.  31 — Jehovah  declares :  "  I  will 
not  smell  the  savor  of  your  sweet  odors."  On  the  other 
hand,  in  Genesis,  viii.  21 — we  are  told  how  the  Lord  God, 
inhaling  the  scent  of  Noah's  sacrifice  on  emerging  from 
the  ark,  "  smelled  a  sweet  savor." — Lastly,  as  though  to 
lower  still  more  these  associations  and  similitudes,  so 


182  ONE  RELIGION:  MANY  CREEDS. 

derogatory  to  all  reverential  feeling,  Holy  Writ  informs 
us  that  the  Divine  Being  has  a  back.  Jeremiah,  xviii. 
17,  puts  this  phrase  in  his  mouth:  "I  will  scatter  them 
as  Avith  an  east  wind  before  the  enemy ;  I  will  shew  them 
the  back,  and  not  the  face,  in  the  day  of  their  calamity  ;" 
and  Isaiah  says,  xxxviii.  17 — "Thou  hast  cast  all  my 
sins  behind  thy  back."  Moses  also — Exodus,  xxxiii.  23, 
makes  the  Lord  say,  in  anticipation  of  the  promised  inter- 
view :  "  And  I  will  take  away  mine  hand,  and  thou  shalt 
see  my  back  parts,  but  my  face  shall  not  be  seen." 

We  have  thus  glanced  in  detail  at  some  of  the  instances, 
in  which  the  mysterious  Founder  and  Ruler  of  the  Uni- 
verse is  vulgarized  and  falsified  in  the  Bible,  by  human 
beings  presuming  to  attribute  to  Him  a  share  in  their 
own  mental  and  corporeal  faculties.  To  them  might  be 
added  the  profane  and  inadmissible  idea  of  Jehovah 
speaking  to  Moses  "face  to  face,  as  a  man  speaketh  unto 
his  friend," — Exodus,  xxxiii.  2; — of  God  riding  upon  a 
cherub  and  flying, — Psalm,  xviii.  10 ; — of  the  Lord  being 
"a  man  of  war,"  and  of  his  wearing  a  "vesture"  or  a 
"breast-plate ;"  of  the  Lord  coming  down  to  see  the  Tower 
of  Babel, — Genesis,  xi.  5.  As  well  might  it  be  thought 
in  accordance  with  God's  justice,  that  He  should,  through 
Moses,  enjoin  the  Israelites  to  borrow  jewels  of  gold  and 
silver  from  their  Egyptian  neighbors,  when  on  the  point 
of  departure  through  the  Red  Sea.  They  must  have 
known,  as  God  must  have  known,  that  the  pretended 
borrowing  would  be  nothing  better  than  fraud  and  rob- 
bery.— Exodus,  xii.  35,  36. 

It  has  been  well  asked  whether  a  mandate  ever  issued 
from  the  lips  of  a  blood-thirsty  Oriental  despot  more  terri- 
ble than  that  concerning  Amalek,  which  is  quoted  above ; 
and  whether  we,  at  the  peril  of  our  salvation,  are  to 


BLIND  RELIANCE  ON  SCRIPTURE.  183 

believe  that  such  an  injunction  came  from  the  Creator, 
rather  than  from  the  mouth  of  the  cruel-minded  Samuel, 
who  "  hewed  Agog  in  pieces  before  the  Lord  in  Gilgal." 
To  this  may  be  added  the  query,  with  reference  to  several 
of  the  foregoing  citations,  whether  any  Christian  would 
tolerate,  in  the  way  of  illustration,  a  statue  or  picture, 
wherein  the  Almighty  Father  was  depicted  as  a  human 
being  inflamed  with  human  passions ;  though,  when  the 
ear  alone  is  appealed  to,  we  not  only  tolerate  the  idea,  but 
cling  to  it  with  such  passionate  earnestness  as  to  persecute 
with  the  extreme  of  resentment  any  one  who  will  not 
adopt  it  as  an  article  of  his  creed.  How,  also,  can  the 
God  who  affirms,  "  I  am  the  Lord,  I  change  not,"  (Mala- 
chi,  iii.  6,)  be  described  by  different  individuals,  as  con- 
stantly varying,  unless  they  themselves  were  giving  utter- 
ance to  their  own  human  conceptions  of  what  a  God 
should  be  ;  and  even,  in  this,  differed  amongst  them- 
selves? Is  it  not  more  rational,  to  believe  that  God  has 
been  clothed  with  human  attributes  by  man,  rather  than 
than  that  the  Lord  of  all  creation  puts  on  the  contempti- 
ble dress  worn  by  mortals  who  live  in  one  of  the  smallest 
of  the  worlds  which  He  has  made?  Surely  such  con- 
siderations should  serve  to  wean  us  from  that  blind  rever- 
ence to  the  identical  words  of  Scripture,  in  which  most  of 
us  have  been  educated.  Nor  can  this  reverence  be  justi- 
fied by  affirming  that  the  language,  to  which  we  have 
taken  exception,  is  only  conventional  or  metaphorical. 
Who  shall  dare  to  say  that  God  cannot  give  such  a 
description  of  Himself  as  is  consistent  with  His  attri- 
butes, except  through  a  certain  phraseology  ?  The  idea 
is  impious,  as  every  thoughtful  mind  must  recognize.  At 
the  same  time  it  must  be  owned,  that  this  habit  of  incor- 
porating humanity  with  the  God-head  has  taken  hold  of 


184  ONE  RELIGION:  MANY  CREEDS. 

all  nations  in  all  time,  and  has,  so  to  say,  been  rubbed 
into  all  theologies.  How  far  this  arises  from  man's  ina- 
bility to  comprehend  what  lies  outside  of  and  beyond  him- 
self, is  touched  upon  elsewhere ;  but  there  can  be  no 
doubt  that  it  has  been  fostered,  in  large  degree,  by  what 
a  writer  already  cited,  has  termed  the  exigencies  of  the 
priesthood. 

Without  the  fiction,  says  he,  that  the  Almighty  heard 
and  spoke  in  reply  to  a  special  class  only,  the  hierarchy 
could  not  exist.  They  feign,  therefore,  to  have  divine 
powers — a  pretension  readily  conceded,  by  those  who  are 
unable  or  unwilling  to  think  for  themselves.  By  this 
division  of  labor,  the  ecclesiastic  becomes  as  implicitly 
trusted  as  the  lawyer  or  the  physician.  But,  as  there  is 
in  all  educated  men  a  propensity  to  search  out  the  founda- 
tion of  the  claim  to  superiority  which  is  advanced  by 
professional  men  generally,  so  also  is  there,  in  some,  a 
strong  determination  to  examine  the  claims  of  those  who 
assume  the  power  to  dictate  to  the  Almighty,  what  He  is 
to  do  with  mortals  when  they  become  immortal. 

If  investigation  and  the  light  of  modern  science,  acting 
upon  our  finer  sense,  overthrow  our  faith  in  the  Bible, 
as  an  inspired  record,  they  lead  us  to  a  more  profound 
acknowledgement  of  the  Almighty's  power,  justice,  and 
wisdom.  "  God  is  a  spirit,  and  they  who  worship  Him 
must  worship  Him  in  spirit  and  in  truth."  This  is  alto- 
gether a  different  thing,  from  a  blind  reliance  upon  the 
utterances  of  prophets  and  the  interpretations  of  priests. 

The  most  pernicious  error  of  church  teaching  is,  that 
sin  can  be  compounded  for,  that  the  just  punishment  due 
to  sin  can  be  evaded  through  what  theologians  call  "  The 
scheme  of  salvation."  Now  the  natural  effect  of  this 
popular  dogma  is,  that  those  who  believe,  or  think  they 


COMPOUNDING  FOR  SIN.  185 

believe,  such  teaching  concern  themselves  more  about  the 
escape  they  are  to  make  from  punishment,  than  they  do 
about  the  shunning  of  sin.  While  men  act  upon  the  idea 
that  the  penalty  for  sin  can  be  avoided  or  bargained  for, 
they  are  comparatively  indifferent  to  any  work  of  self- 
discipline,  or  the  correction  of  their  faults.  All  this  is 
at  direct  variance  with  the  teachings  of  God,  through 
His  natural  laws.  He  therein  recompenses  every  man 
according  to  his  works.  In  this  there  is  no  prejudice,  no 
favor,  no  spite,  no  partiality,  no  escape  from  just  penalty, 
no  possibility  of  losing  a  just  reward,  no  bargaining,  no 
compromise,  no  evasion,  no  substitution.  Any  one  of 
these  would  be  less  just  and  good,  than  for  God  to  exact 
the  whole  penalty  attached  to  the  breach  of  His  inex- 
orable law.  He  punishes  to  correct,  to  bring  to  repent- 
ance, to  save  to  the  blissful  end  in  store  for  us. 

The  third  chapter  in  Genesis  professes  to  give  an 
account  of  man's  first  sin,  and  has  been  made  the  basis 
of  that  fundamental  article  of  the  Christian  faith,  "  The 
fall  of  man."  The  conclusions  drawn  from  this  chapter 
are  not  warranted  by  the  words  of  the  narrative,  which 
we  shall  now  proceed  to  show. 

Not  once  in  the  Old  Testament,  either  in  the  law  or  in 
the  Prophets,  is  the  story  at  all  alluded  to.  All  their 
notions  of  God  and  man  were  totally  at  variance  with  the 
idea  of  man  having  been  made  originally  perfect.  Jesus 
never  alluded  to  this  in  any  of  his  discourses ;  on  the 
contrary,  he  declares  that  there  is  none  perfect  but  God ; 
and  this,  taken  in  connection  with  the  fact  that  he 
nowhere  intimates  that  man  fell  through  Adam,  ought  to 
be  conclusive  with  all  who  believe  in  Jesus'  divinity,  that 
man  was  no  more  perfect  at  the  Creation,  than  he  was  in 
Jesus'  day,  or  in  our  own.  The  first  time  that  Moses' 


186  ONE  RELIGION:  MANY  CREEDS. 

k 

story  is  appealed  to  as  historical,  is  in  the  writings  of  the 
Apostle  Paul.  It  is  upon  his  probable  acceptance  of  the 
narrative,  in  an  unwarranted  literal  sense,  and  upon  false 
inferences  drawn  by  him  from  it,  that  the  prevailing  idea 
of  the  utter  corruption  and  curse  of  mankind,  through  the 
fall,  and  of  their  recovery  or  redemption  by  the  substitu- 
tion of  a  victim  in  their  place,  is  founded. 

But  see  what  serious  results  this  leads  to.  All  who 
believe  the  doctrine  of  Christian  theology  which  is  based 
upon  man's  supposed  original  perfection  and  subsequent 
fall,  it  is  said,  will  be  saved:  but  all. who  do  not  believe 
in  it  will  be  damned.  To  admit  this  is  to  represent  God 
as  cursing  the  whole  human  family,  for  the  sin  of  one  of 
their  number;  and  only  removing  that  curse  from  those 
who  believe  in  the  shedding  of  the  innocent  blood  of  a 
victim,  of  whom  but  a  small  minority  have  ever  heard. 

The  error  which  lies  at  the  root  of  this  delusion  is  the 
idea,  that  man  was  originally  made  perfect ;  and  that  he 
fell  from  that  state  of  purity  and  perfection,  dragging  with 
him  his  whole  posterity.  Now  we  boldly  assert  that 
Adam  and  Eve  were  not  created  spiritually  perfect  as 
God  is  perfect,  but  perfect  as  God  intended  that  man 
should  be.  The  story  itself  not  only  does  not  say  that 
they  were ;  it  gives  not  the  remotest  intimation  of  such 
a  thing.  They  are  represented  as  believing  a  serpent,  or 
perhaps  the  evidence  of  their  own  senses,  rather  than  the 
words  of  God,  and  as  soon  as  they  are  tempted  they  yield 
at  once. 

The  fact  is,  they  could  not  have  been  made  perfect. 
There  is  no  such  thing  as  perfection  in  any  created  being. 
If  there  were,  there  would  be  more  Gods  than  one :  for 
whatever  is  perfect  is  God. 


ADAM'S  DOOM  NOT  SPIRITUAL.  187 

* 

But  this  inference  is  evaded  by  a  qualification.  Theo- 
logians tell  us  that  they  mean  relative  perfection — not 
that  man  could  be  made  perfect  as  God  is  perfect,  but 
that  he  was  made  good  and  happy.  This  we  admit ; 
God  could  not  make  anything  but  what  is  good  and  happy. 
But  He  could,  and  did  make  beings,  who,  when  they 
were  produced  by  His  windorn  and  goodness,  were  not 
only  without  a  knowledge  of  physical  cause  and  effect, 
but  without  a  knowledge  also  of  moral  cause  and  effect. 
All  that  took  place  with  regard  to  man's  experience  of 
good  and  evil  was,  that  being  created  with  a  free-will  he 
at  once  put  that  free-will  into  full  exercise,  and  of  course 
learned  what  he  did  uot  know  until  the  experiment  was 
tried. 

Again,  there  is  not  a  word  in  the  story  about  everlast- 
ing death,  or  the  torment  of  the  soul.  "Ye  shall  surely 
die,"  was  understood  by  Adam  and  Eve  as  referring  to  the 
death  of  the  body  ;  because  the  narrator  goes  on  to  describe 
their  being  driven  out  of  Paradise,  lest  they  should  eat  of 
the  tree  of  life,  and  live  forever.  Nothing  can  be  plainer 
than  that  natural  death  is  here  meant.  This  view  of  the 
subject  is  further  enforced  by  the  following  declaration, 
"  Unto  dust  shalt  thou  return."  The  Apostle  Paul  quotes 
it  in  that  sense,  when  he  says,  "  By  one  man  sin  entered 
into  the  world,  and  death  by  sin,  and  so  death  passed 
upon  all  men,  for  that  all  have  sinned,"  though  the  first 
part  of  this  assertion  is  shown  elsewhere  to  be  inaccurate, 
inasmuch  as  science  proves  that  death  had  entered  the 
world  long  before  the  date  assigned  by  theologists.  Again, 
there  is  no  allusion  whatever  to  a  substitute  or  sacrifice  as 
the  mode  of  removing  the  curse,  and  appeasing  the  wrath 
of  God.  There  is  not  a  single  word  spoken  by  God  to 
Adam  and  Eve  about  redemption  or  atonement.  If  such 


188  ONE  RELIGION:  MANY  CREEDS. 

a  theory  had  been  true — if  the  narrative  in  Genesis  were 
supernaturally  suggested — it  would  surely  have  contained 
some  intimation  of  it,  when  God  pronounced  the  curse. 
This  being  a  matter  of  the  very  highest  importance,  not 
only  to  Adam  and  Eve,  but  also  to  their  posterity,  we  can- 
not conceive,  the  goodness  of  God  precludes  the  bare  idea, 
that  he  could  have  withheld  it  from  man. 

The  answer  to  this  is,  that  God  did,  at  once,  inform 
Adam  of  his  intention ;  that  He  gave  him  a  distinct  and 
unmistakable  intimation  of  it  when  He  said,  "  I  will  put 
enmity  between  thee  and  the  woman,  and  between  thy 
seed  and  her  seed :  it  shall  bruise  thy  head  and  thou  shalt 
bruise  his  heel." — Genesis,  iii.  15.  But  how  can  this  be 
called  a  plain  and  unmistakable  intimation  of  the  scheme 
of  salvation  ?  It  is  as  dark  a  parable  as  any  tLat  could 
be  constructed ;  and  we  think  it  so  obscure,  except  as  to 
the  natural  enmity  that  exists  between  the  two,  that  it 
would  be  useless  to  argue  on  it. 

Turn,  in  the  next  place,  to  the  statement,  "And  the 
Lord  God  took  the  man  and  put  him  into  the  garden  of 
Eden,  to  dress  it  and  to  keep  it." — Gen.  ii.  15. 

Church  theology  inculcates  the  idea  that  labor  was 
imposed  upon  Adam  in  consequence  of  his  first  transgres- 
sion ;  but  it  is  evident,  from  the  above  text,  that  previous 
to  Adam's  sinning,  as  it  is  called,  the  dressing  and  keep- 
ing of  the  garden  was  enjoined  on  him.  This,  no  one  can 
deny,  was  bodily  labor,  by  any  fair  interpretation.  Adam 
was  also  required  to  give  names  to  every  living  creature. 
Could  he  have  done  this,  except  at  the  expense  of  mental 
labor,  even  though  every  beast  of  the  field  and  every  fowl 
of  the  air  was  brought  to  him  for  this  purpose  ? 

As  a  consequence  of  Adam's  eating  the  fruit,  God  cursed 
the  serpent  who  tempted  him,  through  Eve.  as  well  as  the 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  FALL  OF  MAN.  189 

ground  upon  which  he  trod  ;  neither  of  which  is  supposed 
to  be  morally  accountable.  The  curse  on  the  serpent,  such 
as  it  was,  in  any  sense  is  applicable  only  to  his  physical 
nature. 

And  the  curses,  referred  to,  which  pertain  to  man,  do 
not  necessarily  grow  out  of  man's  moral  offence.  The  fair 
inference  is  the  reverse  of  this.  The  sin,  according  to  the 
narration,  was  prompted  by  the  craving  of  man's  animal 
nature,  not  at  the  expense  of  any  moral  delinquency,  such, 
for  instance,  as  appropriating  the  fruits  of  a  fellow-being's 
labor,  in  a  dishonest  way.  For,  according  to  the  story, 
Adam  and  Eve  were  the  only  persons  then  upon  the  earth, 
and  being  in  harmony,  it  is  said,  in  partaking  of  the 
fruit ;  their  action  consequently  involved  no  sin — one 
against  the  other. 

A  sense  of  shame,  occasioned  by  the  sudden  discovery 
of  the  nakedness  of  one's  person  does  not  involve  the  idea 
of  moral  degradation  ;  it  rather  indicates  a  lively  percep- 
tion of  the  propriety  of  things  ;  and  when  this  state  of 
things  is  accompanied  with  strenuous  efforts  to  hide  the 
nakedness  which  caused  the  shame,  as  in  Adam's  and 
Eve's  case,  it  is  highly  deserving  of  praise.  If  the  story 
be  credited,  such  must  have  been  the  view  which  God 
took  of  the  matter,  when  he  sympathized  with  them  to 
the  extent  of  helping  the  naked  pair  out  of  their  dilemma 
by  clothing  them  with  skins,  thus  rewarding  instead  of 
punishing  them  and  showing  that  their  course  met  God's 
approbation,  instead  of  condemnation.  Hence,  the  eaters 
of  the  forbidden  fruit  could  not  have  been  deemed  guilty 
by  God,  at  least,  in  a  moral  point  of  view,  else  he  would 
have  left  them  to  the  punishment,  which  under  his  unal- 
terable laws  ever  attaches  to  moral  delinquencies.  This 
view  is  fully  sustained  by  the  narrative  of  the  matter  in 


190  ONE  RELIGION:  MANY  CREEDS. 

question  ;  the  only  punishment  which  is  indicated  therein, 
being  death  of  the  body,  and  labor,  which  we  assert  is  a 
blessing,  and  not  a  curse. 

There  is  another  view  of  this  subject,  which  is  adverse 
to  theologians.  The  reading  of  Genesis  leaves  the  impres- 
sion, that  a  very  short  time  only  could  have  elapsed 
between  the  eating  of  the  fruit,  which  it  is  alleged  brought 
death  into  the  world,  and  the  time  of  God's  clothing  the 
naked  pair  with  the  skins  of  animals.  Now,  if  it  be  true 
that,  up  to  the  eating  of  the  fruit  by  Adam,  none  of  God's 
creatures  had  died,  it  begets  the  query,  how  it  came  to 
pass  that  that  there  were  skins  of  animals  immediately  at 
hand  in  a  fit  condition  for  comfortable  clothing. 

O 

If,  to  account  for  these  inconsistencies,  it  be  said  that 
God  can  do  all  things  that  he  wills  to  do,  we  answer  that 
when  men.  say  God  has  done  things  totally  inconsistent 
with  his  uniform  mode  of  action,  and  give  no  reliable 
proof  of  the  truth  of  their  assertion,  we  have  a  right  to 
infer  even  more  ;  and  to  be  quite  sure  that  the  story  has 
its  origin  in  man's  imagination  and  not  in  the  doings  of 
God.  This  story  in  Genesis  rests  upon  the  sole  authority 
of  Moses;  it  is  irrational,  improbable,  and  contradictory  to 
itself;  but  worse  than  this,  the  Church  has  founded  a 
theplogy  upon  it,  totally  unwarranted  by  the  wording  or 
spirit  of  the  narrative. 

The  gist  of  the  theological  system  consists  in  their 
claiming  that  Adam's  alleged  sin  tainted  his  moral  nature; 
and  this  enables  them  to  transfer  the  final  test  of  the 
truth  or  fallacy  of  their  dogma  beyond  the  grave.  Thus, 
they  elude  detection  of  their  error,  since  no  man  returns 
thence  to  confront  them. 

One  of  the  evils  inflicted  upon  Adam  according  to  the 
narrative  was  additional  labor,  not  labor  primarily. 


ITS  INCONSISTENCIES.  191 

The  ground,  by  virtue  of  the  curse,  became  harder  to 
till,  outside,  than  within  the  garden  in  which  he  was  first 
placed.  It  was,  therefore,  the  body,  and  not  the  moral 
nature  of  Adam,  that  had  to  pay  the  penalty,  if  penalty 
it  be  to  labor,  which  we  deny. 

And  again,  Eve  was  visited  with  increased  pain  in 
child-bearing,  and  not  with  any  new  source  of  sorrow. 
This  also  pertains  to  the  body.  It  is  not  a  consequence 
of  moral  guilt,  not  entailing  inward  reproaches,  as  when 
one  offends  against  the  laws  of  chastity,  for  example. 
And  if  these  evils  in  our  physical  nature  do  terminate  in 
the  death  of  the  body,  the  death  of  the  body  is  an  advan- 
tage, because  it  leaves  the  soul  untrammelled,  and  ena- 
bles it  to  draw  nearer  to  God,  who  is  the  source  of  happi- 
ness. 

"  And  the  Lord  God  said,  behold  the  man  is  become  as 
one  of  us  to  know  good  and  evil." — Genesis,  iii.  22.  If 
this  be  true,  God  looked  upon  man,  after  his  transgres- 
sion, as  more  like  Himself  than  before.  He  certainly 
became  a  wiser  being  ;  and  we  cannot  understand  how 
wisdom  can  be  a  curse  to  man.  It  brought  with  it  a 
knowledge,  that  if  we  offend  against  the  laws  of  God  we 
must  suffer  for  it.  But  God  was  too  good  to  allow  us  to 
go  on  suffering  in  this  world  forever,  for  our  short-sigh.ted- 
ness  and  folly  :  He  therefore  made  it  impossible  for  us 
to  do  so,  by  allowing  death  to  terminate  our  career.  That 
man  might  not  go  further,  and  take  and  eat  of  the  fruits 
of  life,  and  live  forever,  God  allowed  death  to  be  made 
the  gate,  through  which  we  are  to  pass  to  a  state  of  ever- 
lasting progression  in  wisdom  and  felicity. 

But  to  go  further  into  this  incredible  narrative — "And 
they  were  both  naked,  the  man  and  his  wife,  and  were  not 
ashamed." — Genesis,  ii.  25.  This  happy  state  of  nudity 


192  ONE  RELIGION:  MANY  CREEDS. 

and  innocence,  then,  was  that  which  they  gloried  in,  before 
the  fall.  But  what  next?  When  they  discovered,  by 
eating  of  the  fruits  of  the  tree  of  knowledge  of  good  and 
evil,  that  the  condition  in  which  they  were  was  unseemly, 
they  experienced  a  sense  of  shame,  as  indicated  by  their 
use  of  fig  leaves,  and  they  were  afraid,  and  went  and  hid 
themselves ;  and  so,  when  God  found  them  thus,  in  order 
to  hide  their  nakedness,  we  are  told,  "  Unto  Adam  also 
and  to  his  wife  did  the  Lord  God  make  coats  of  skins  and 
clothed  them." — Genesis,  iii.  21. 

These,  then,  are  the  consequences  of  Adam  and  Eve's 
eating  of  the  fruits  of  the  tree  of  knowledge  of  good  and 
evil.  Being  redeemed  or  saved  from  them,  of  course  the 
converse  becomes  the  proper  order  of  things.  So  that, 
when  a  man  is  redeemed  or  saved  to  eternal  life  by  the 
plan  of  salvation  through  Jesus,  he  might  go  naked  and 
feel  no  shame  ! 

Again,  "  Therefore  the  Lord  God  sent  him  forth  from 
the  garden  of  Eden  to  till  the  ground  from  whence  he  was 
taken."  (Genesis,  iii.  23.)  It  appears  from  the  scope  of 
this  verse,  that  God  turned  Adam  out  of  Paradise  to  till 
the  ground  outside  of  its  limits,  not  because  he  ate  of  the 
fruit  by  means  of  which  he  had  assimilated  himself  to 
God  by  gaining  a  knowledge  of  good  and  evil,  but  rather 
lest  Adam  should  partake  of  the  tree  of  life,  and  live 
forever,  and  thus  reverse  one  of  the  results  of  his  partak- 
ing of  the  fruits  of  the  tree  of  knowledge,  to  wit,  the 
mortality  of  the  body.  So  God  compromised  the  matter, 
being  content  to  let  all  the  consequences  of  eating  the 
forbidden  fruit  remain,  except  that  the  body  should 
return  to  the  dust  whence  it  was  taken.  And  to  make 
quite  sure  that  Adam  did  not  render  this  inoperative, 
He  placed  a  guard  over  the  tree  of  life.  This,  we  con- 


BIBLE  ACCOUNT  OF  THE  FALL  OF  MAN.       193 

ceive  to  be  the  natural  rendering  of  the  story  of  "The 
Fall,"  and  this,  if  any  credence  is  to  be  given  to  it  at  all, 
must  be  much  nearer  the  truth  than  the  different  and  far- 
fetched construction  which  the  Christian  Churches  put  on 
it  when  they  deduce  from  it  the  doctrine  that  man  fell 
from  the  original  state  of  innocence,  that  he  must  be 
redeemed  therefrom  by  the  sacrifice  of  Christ,  and  that 
our  salvation  depends  on  our  belief  in  this  complicated 
dogma. 

We  submit  then,  is  not  the  course  which  is  attributed 
to  God,  in  the  fable  we  have  just  criticised,  an  imputation 
against  His  omnipotence,  His  wisdom,  and  His  stability 
of  purpose  ?  His  laws  are  immutable  ;  they  never  vary  ; 
and  from  the  first  they  were  framed  for  man's  best  inter- 
ests and  happiness.  The  death  of  the  material  portion 
of  animals  is  one  of  those  laws,  which  was  in  the  order 
of  things  from  the  first.  Had  it  been  otherwise,  the 
increase  of  the  human  race,  at  the  rate  at  which  men 
have  multiplied  since  the  creation,  would  have  been  suffi- 
cient to  fill  the  earth  so  full,  that  they  could  not  find 
standing  room,  not  to  say  food  enough  to  subsist  upon. 
No,  God  has  a  more  beneficent  purpose  in  view,  than  to 
make  earth  man's  continual  abiding  place.  He  places 
us  here,  that  he  may  train  us  for  a  much  higher  and 
wider  state  of  existence  beyond  the  grave.  Death,  then, 
was  no  accident ;  neither  was  it  visited  upon  man  as  a 
punishment  for  his  delinquencies,  but  as  an  important 
step  in  his  advance  toward  God. 

What  theologians  term  "  The  Fall  of  Man,"  is  based 
by  them  upon  the  fable  in  the  first  book  of  Moses,  called 
"  Genesis,"  the  substance  of  which  is  as  follows  :  The 
first  human  pair  was  placed  in  the  garden  of  Eden,  where 
everything  around  them  was  in  perfect  harmony  with 
13 


194  ONE  RELIGION:  MANY  CREEDS. 

their  nature,  their  tastes,  and  their  appetites  :  "  And  the 
Lord  God  planted  a  garden  eastward  in  Eden  :  and  there 
he  put  the  man  whom  he  had  formed.  And  out  of  the 
ground  made  the  Lord  God  to  grow  every  tree  that  is 
pleasant  to  the  sight,  and  good  for  food." 

In  the  first  place,  it  is  said,  or  may  be  inferred  from 
subsequent  words,  that  in  some  respects  Nature  itself  was 
very  different  from  what  we  find  it  now.  Originally, 
there  were  no  such  things  as  thorns,  or  briars,  or  noxious 
weeds  and  plants  infesting  the  ground  and  annoying  and 
perplexing  the  man,  who  was  placed  upon  the  earth  to 
enjoy  perpetual  happiness  thereon.  These  things  sprang 
up  at,  and  in  consequence  of  the  sin  of  Adam. 

"And  unto  Adam  he  said,  Because  thou  hast  heark- 
ened unto  the  voice  of  thy  wife,  and  hast  eaten  of  the 
tree  of  which  I  commanded  thee  saying,  Thou  shalt  not 
eat  of  it :  cursed  is  the  ground  for  thy  sake :  in  sorrow 
shalt  thou  eat  of  it  all  the  days  of  thy  life.  Thorns 
also  and  thistles  shall  it  bring  forth  to  thee  ;  and  thou 
shalt  eat  the  herb  of  the  field." 

The  elements  also  were  so  propitious,  and  the  climate 
so  congenial  and  healthy  ;  that  they  suffered  no  incon- 
venience from  the  former,  nor  could  the  seeds  of  disease 
be  implanted  within  them  by  the  latter,  although  their 
physical  construction  was  precisely  what  it  is  now.  "  They 
were  both  naked,"  implying  that,  having  neither  the  rigor 
of  coldness  in  winter  nor  the  fierceness  of  heat  in  summer 
to  contend  with,  their  bodies  did  not  therefore  require  any 
protection  in  the  way  of  clothes.  This  is  further  implied 
by  the  theological  view,  that  man — if  he  had  not  fallen — 
was  to  live  without  labor,  and  hence  could  not  have  pro- 
vided himself  with  clothing.  Since  animals  also  were  to 
live  forever,  man  could  not  be  clothed  with  their  skins ; 


BIBLE  ACCOUNT  OF  THE  FALL  OF  MAN.       195 

and  yet,  contrary  as  it  may  seem  to  this  idea,  God  made 
them  garments,  or  coats  of  skins,  as  soon  as  their  sense 
of  shame  made  it  necessary.  Again,  "  For  in  the  day 
that  thou  eatest  thereof  thou  shalt  surely  die,"  implies 
that  but  for  an  act  of  disobedience — which  he  might  or 
might  not  commit — neither  death,  nor  its  antecedents, 
pain  and  disease,  could  have  ever  visited  them.  Neither 
was  the  nature  of  the  animals  what  it  subsequently 
became.  They  were  all  peaceful  and  happy  and  harmo- 
nious, none  carnivorous ;  but  all  gregarious  and  living 
upon  herbs  :  "  And  to  every  beast  of  the  earth,  and  to 
every  fowl  of  the  air,  and  to  everything  that  creepeth 
upon  the  earth,  wherein  there  is  life,  I  have  given  every 
green  herb  for  meat."  Man  himself  was  an  entirely  dif- 
ferent creature  to  what  he  became,  immediately  after  eat- 
ing the  fruit  of  which  God  his  Maker  had  commanded 
him  not  to  eat.  He  was  good  and  holy  and  just  and 
true  ;  and  consequently  he  was  perfectly  happy. 

This  is,  substantially,  a  picture  of  what  is  presented  to 
us  from  the  pulpit,  concerning  man  and  his  estate  before 
he  ate  of  the  forbidden  fruit.  It  is  what  is  claimed  by 
theologians  as  a  fair  deduction  from  the  account  given  in 
the  Book  of  Moses,  to  which  we  have  referred. 

But  is  it  in  accordance  with  the  facts  or  phenomena 
of  Nature,  and  with  the  wisdom  of  God  ?  If  this  dogma 
of  the  Church  be  true,  it  results  in  lowering  the  attributes 
of  the  Almighty,  and  in  representing  Him  as  a  Being 
whose  laws  and  plans,  pertaining  to  all  created  things, 
were  liable  to  be  thwarted  by  a  single  act  of  His  creature 
man  ;  and  to  the  extent  of  necessitating  an  entire  revision 
of  those  laws  and  those  plans.  It  results  in  an  imputa- 
tion upon  His  omnipotence,  His  wisdom,  His  goodness, 
and  His  unchangeableness.  It  results  in  the  theory  that 


196  OXE  RELIGION:  MANY  CREEDS. 

man — both  constitutionally  and  morally — is  not  the  same 
being  that  he  was  at  his  creation,  or  at  the  time  when  he 
was  first  called  to  take  upon  him  the  original  organism  of 
his  type.  In  a  word,  it  results  in  the  imputation  that 
God,  who,  according  to  His  very  nature,  never  varies  nor 
modifies  nor  adapts  His  laws  to  any  contingency,  was — 
instead  of  being  supreme — so  far  subject  to  the  caprice  of 
man  as  to  be  compelled  to  abandon  His  original  plan,  and 
reconstruct  or  re-organize  His  laws  pertaining  to  the  vege- 
table, animal,  and  spiritual  affairs  of  our  globe.  Now  God 
is  a  Being  of  absolute  powers  and  perfections,  of  infinite 
wisdom  and  goodness  ;  and  by  necessity,  in  carrying  out 
His  designs  at  creation,  He  must  have  made  everything 
perfect  both  as  a  whole  and  in  its  several  parts,  so  that 
entire  harmony  ensues  and  no  revision  or  amendment  is 
admissible.  God  made  man  with  such  faculties,  physi- 
cally and  mentally  and  morally,  as  in  His  wisdom  He 
deemed  best.  He  is  omniscient  and  unchangeable.  He 
cannot  therefore  be  turned  aside  in  His  purposes.  That 
infinite  goodness  and  wisdom,  which  originally  governed 
Him  in  His  designs  toward  man,  must  ever  remain 
intact.  Man  was  made  perfect,  as  man,  and  no  higher, 
else  he  would  have  been  something  more,  or  other, 
than  man.  Nothing  is  conceivable  of  God,  than  that 
everything  which  He  has  created,  and  the  laws  by  which 
His  creation  is  governed,  have  been  and  must  be  from 
first  to  last  in  perfect  harmony  each  with  the  other,  and 
with  His  will  and  pleasure.  It  is  indispensable  that  they 
should  be.  But  how  does  this  accord  with  Christian 
theology,  according  to  which,  a  single  breach  of  Adam's 
duty  wrought  a  total  change  in  most,  if  not  all,  of  God's 
original  ordinances  in  relation  to  man,  the  lower  animals, 
and  even  the  plants  ? 


MAN'S  ORIGINAL  CONDITION.  197 

Let   us   look  at   this  matter  more  closely.     If  God's 
original  design  in  regard  to  man  and  His  ordinances  for 
the  accomplishment  of  His   designs   were  in  exact  con- 
formity with  each   and   every  part  of  His  general  plan, 
nothing  wanting,   nothing  useless ;    and   if   His    original 
plan  and  purpose  was  what  theologians  assert  it  to  have 
been — then  certain  properties  and  affections,  which  now 
pertain  to  our  nature,  had  no  use  or  part  in  that  organi- 
zation.    Up   to    the  time  of  Adam's  first  transgression, 
there  could  have  been  no  repugnance  to  evil,  since  evil 
was  not  then  contemplated  by  God.     There  could  have 
been  no  preference  for  the  good,  since  there  was  nothing 
contrary  thereto,  there  being  no  evil  with  which  to  con- 
trast the  good.     Conscience  could  have  had  no  existence 
in    man.     Sin    being  a   surprise    to   God,  conscience   to 
rebuke  it  could  have  had  no  part  in  God's  original  design. 
Modesty,  that  exquisite  trait  in  the  nature  of  man,  could 
have  had  no  part  in  his  original  constitution,  since  God 
did  not  foresee  that  the  first  pair  would  do  'that  which 
made    their   nakedness   appear  in  a  new  light  to  them. 
And  yet,  according   to  the  narrative,  the  instant  it  was 
called  into  requisition,  modesty  very  naturally  performed 
the  duties  of  its  office — even  before  God  had  called  the 
offenders    to    account  for  doing  that  which   required  its 
first  blush.     This  shows  that  man  was  at  first  as  now ; 
and  is  of  itself  fatal  to  the  theological  deduction  from 
the  narrative  as  it  stands.     And  now,  before  proceeding 
to  show  at   some  length,  how   absurd  is  the  theological 
view  of  the  consequences  entailed  upon  certain  parts  of 
animal  creation  by  Adam's  fall,  we  interpolate  one  remark 
that  properly  belongs  to  a  more  general  consideration  of 
the  subject.     Theologians    hold   and   repeat  unceasingly 
that  death  is  but  the  passage  or  gate  to  heaven  which 


198  ONE  RELIGION:  MANY  CREEDS. 

opens  to  those  who  believe.  If  this  be  so,  it  follows — 
according  to  the  doctrine  that  Adam  and  all  his  posterity 
were  originally  intended  to  dwell  forever  in  this  lower 
world — that  if  Adam  had  not  sinned  we  should  all  have 
been  deprived  of  that  blissful  abode,  which  we  are  led  to 
believe  is  a  transcendantly  more  happy  place  than  was 
even  Paradise  itself!  So  that,  notwithstanding  man  is 
said  to  have  done  very  wrong  in  disobeying  God,  yet  he 
did  the  very  best  that  he  could  for  his  own  advantage. 
The  Church,  perhaps,  may  be  able  to  reconcile  this  diffi- 
culty, when  it  explains  why  man  is  permitted  to  eat  meat, 
though  God  said  to  him:  "Thou  shalt  eat  the  herb  of  the 
field."  God's  perfection  is  a  guarantee  of  the  exact  fit- 
ness and  harmony  of  His  creation  as  a  whole,  and  as 
seen  in  the  various  laws,  means,  and  appliances  for  carry- 
ing out  His  purposes.  There  is  nothing  wanting,  nothing 
useless — each  and  every  part  being  indispensable  to  the 
accomplishment  of  His  perfect  end.  Now  this  involves 
that,  if  God's  original  purpose  in  creating  what  pertains 
to  this  earth  was  in  accordance  with  the  theory  of  the 
Christian  theology  on  the  subject,  to  wit, — that  all  God's 
creatures  were  to  live  forever  happy,  and  in  harmony  with 
each  other,  committing  no  breach  of  His  laws,  having  no 
pain,  misery,  or  discomfort,  either  of  body  or  mind — then, 
the  instant  Adam  first  disobeyed  these  laws,  the  harmony 
and  fitness  of  all  must  have  been  changed,  to  produce 
another  harmony  under  the  condition  of  things  as  they 
now  exist.  Adam,  himself,  must  necessarily  have  been 
reorganized.  He  must  instantly  have  been  so  trans- 
formed, as  to  adapt  him  to  his  present  wants  and  his 
present  nature.  In  fact  this  change  relates  alike  to  all 
men,  to  the  intuitions,  instincts,  and  physical  structure  of 
all,  and  to  every  property  of  the  body  and  mind'  of  all. 


INSTANT  CHANGE  IN  ANIMAL  LIFE.  199 

And  thus  also  with  the  lower  creation.  All  the  birds, 
fishes,  animals,  and  insects,  that  are  now  carnivorous, 
must  have  had  their  instirlctive  propensities  altered. 
New  means  of  capturing,  eating  and  digesting  such  food 
as  they  now  eat  must  have  been  instantly  furnished 
them,  to  accommodate  them  to  the  new  order  of  things — 
an  immense  work  to  be  performed,  as  it  seems  to  us,  on 
account  of  so  unimportant  a  transaction  as  that  to  which 
it  is  attributed.  The  beasts  and  birds  of  prey  must  have 
been  provided  with  sharp  fangs  and  hooked  claws,  to 
enable  them  to  secure  their  victims ;  and  the  appliances 
which  they  have  for  masticating  flesh,  must  have  been 
given  them  at  the  same  time.  All  the  animals  and  birds 
that  feed  upon  carrion  must  have  had  their  cravings  of 
appetite  adapted  to  such  food,  and  their  sense  of  smell 
made  surprisingly  keen,  to  apprise  them  of  its  locality  at 
long  distances.  The  hen  must  have  been  gifted  with  the 
instinct,  that  causes  her  to  call  her  chickens  under  her 
wings,  when  the  hawk  is  in  sight.  The  dog  must  have 
had  the  instinct  given  him,  that  warns  him  of  danger 
when  he  smells  a  snake  whose  bite  he,  intuitively,  knows 
to  be  fatal.  The  instinct  that  makes  living  things  flee, 
or  otherwise  strive  to  protect  themselves,  when  their 
natural  antagonist  presents  itself,  must  also  have  been 
called  into  requisition.  In  fact,  all  the  instincts  and 
propensities  that  pertain  to  the  preservation  of  life,  and 
to  defence  at  the  approach  of  a  natural  enemy,  must  have 
been  given  to  all  living  things,  the  moment  death  became 
inaugurated  because  of  Adam's  sin. 

Again,  all  living  creatures,  that,  in  their  living  state, 
are  designed  as  food,  for  other  living  creatures,  must  have 
had  their  means  and  propensity  for  propagating  their  kind 


200  ONE  RELIGION:  MANY  CREEDS. 

materially  increased,  to  answer  to  the  state  of  things  that 
then  came  about. 

If  God's  purposes  were,  that  animated  things  should 
not  prey  upon  each  other,  why  did  He  make  such  numer- 
ous kinds  and  species  of  animals,  birds,  insects  and  fish, 
with  organs,  functions,  instincts  and  propensities,  espe- 
cially adapted  and  only  calculated  for  the  purpose? 
Why  did  He  not  endow  them  with  those  other  faculties 
absolutely  necessary  for  maintaining  life  according  to 
what  theologians  call  God's  original  plan?  That  God 
from  their  creation,  intended  that  one  creature  should 
prey  upon  another,  is  strongly  indicated  by  the  fact,  that 
those  animals,  birds  and  fishes  of  the  larger  series,  which 
are  not  liable  to  be  used  as  food  by  others,  propagate  their 
kind  in  much  less  abundance  than  do  those  which  are 
made  to  be  devoured :  What  vast,  but  what  appropriate 
disproportion  is  there  between  sharks  and  herrings, 
between  hawks  and  sparrows,  between  tigers  and  buf- 
faloes, between  swallows  and  insects  on  the  wing ! 

Again  :  it  is  certain  that,  to  maintain  the  order  and  fit- 
ness of  things  which  God  designed,  animals  of  all  kinds 
require  a  certain  area  or  space  for  their  occupancy,  in  pro- 
portion to  their  numbers.  It  is  also  apparent  that  the 
aggregate  of  animal  life  is  materially  increased  by  the 
different  kinds  and  varieties  of  species  that  exist ;  and 
that  the  well-being  of  each  is  promoted  by  the  existence 
of  not  over  ascertain  number  of  another  kind.  That  is  to 
say,  there  might  have  been  too  many  of  one  or  more  kinds 
to  produce  the  best  result.  If  this  be  true,  it  is  probable 
that  the  devouring  of  one  by  another  is  among  the  means 
that  Nature  uses  for  preventing  this  inconvenience.  There 
is  another  provision  of  Nature  apparently  tending  to  the 
same  end — it  has  been  ordained  that  an  insect  shall,  under 


DEATH  INDISPENSABLE.  201 

certain  contingencies,  deposit  its  eggs  in  or  on  the  body  of 
another  living  insect  or  animal  of  a  different  species.  The 
etfect  of  this  is  to  increase  the  number  of  one,  and  to 
diminish  that  of  the  other  kind.  This  provision  of 
Nature,  whereby  insects  and  other  animate  things  feed 
one  upon  another  and  upon  the  eggs  of  each  other,  is,  we 
say,  among  the  arrangements  of  God  to  maintain  an  equi- 
librium, or  proper  proportion  between  the  kinds,  and  to 
prevent  the  earth  from  being  overstocked,  as  ib  soon  would 
be  under  the  theological  version  of  God's  original  decrees. 
The  same  arrangement  prevails  with  regard  to  the  birds 
of  the  air,  and  the  beasts  of  the  field  and  forest.  Life  and 
death  are  linked  together,  and  depend  on  each  other  by 
and  through  God's  ordinances  in  such  a  way  that  it  is  not 
possible  that  it  can  have  been  anything  else  than  His 
original  purpose  that  they  should  both  prevail.  The  prey- 
ing of  one  species  of  animated  nature  upon  another  is 
totally  at  variance  with  the  dogmas  of  the  theologians  on 
this  very  subject.  They  say  that  it  was  God's  original 
design  that  all  living  things  that  came  into  being  on  the 
earth  or  in  the  waters  should  live  forever.  The  fallacy  of 
this  is  at  once  shown  by  the  use  of  figures.  At  the  rate 
at  which  living  things  now  multiply,  the  number  would 
very  soon  be  so  great,  if  all  continued  to  live,  that  further 
increase  in  numbers  would  be  totally  impracticable.  This 
result  would  render  all  the  provisions  that  now  exist  for 
the  production  and  consequent  perpetuation  of  animal  life 
perfectly  useless.  And  yet  these  embrace  so  wide  a  range 
and  are  so  intimately  interwoven  with  the  organs,  func- 
tions, and  instincts  of  animal  nature  that  it  is  impossible 
to  conceive  that  God's  plan  for  perpetuating  the  inhabi- 
tants of  the  world  was  not  at  first  as  now.  It  is  impossible 
to  conceive,  for  example,  that  the  beautiful  and  pure  rela- 


202  ONE  RELIGION:  MANY  CREEDS. 

tionship  which  exists  between  parents  and  children  should 
not  remain  an  ever-living  and  active  principle — a  never- 
ceasing  symbol,  in  some  degree  parallel  to  the  relationship 
that  exists  between  God,  who  is  a  Father  and  more  than  a 
Father,  and  all  His  happy  children,  here  and  hereafter — a 
monument  of  His  benign  goodness  to  all  the  children  of 
men.  To  return  to  our  point :  even  the  living  things  of 
the  sea  must  have  had  their  nature  greatly  changed. 
Before  death  came  into  the  world  through  Adam's  sin, 
they  must  have  fed  on  the  fruits  and  herbs  of  their  own 
expansive  and  aquatic  fields.  It  is  true  that  the  primary 
source  whence  food  is  derived  for  the  growth  and  support 
of  animals  is  in  the  air,  in  the  water,  and  in  the  earth. 
It  is  also  true  that  animals  cannot  draw  their  support 
directly  from  the  inorganic  matter  contained  in  these  ele- 
ments. It  can  only  be  converted  into  pabulum  adapted 
to  their  support  by  and  through  the  instrumentality  of 
plants.  Vegetation,  therefore,  links  together  animal  life 
and  inorganic  matter.  Vegetation  is  the  prime  medium 
in  bringing  the  means  of  life  and  animation  out  of  inert 
matter.  On  the  land,  where  plants  are  in  greater  abun- 
dance and  enjoy  more  of  the  elements  of  thrift  than  is  the 
case  in  the  sea,  their  office  is  performed  more  extensively  ; 
and  the  pabulum  suitable  for  the  sustenance  of  both  large 
and  small  animals  is  furnished  in  much  greater  abundance 
than  is  the  case  in  relation  to  those  which  inhabit  the 
waters,  and  derive  their  support  through  the  medium  of 
animalcules.  Out  of  this  results  the  important  office  of 
the  animalcules  that  exist  in  such  vast  numbers  in  water. 
They  save  up  and  accumulate,  as  it  were,  the  comparative 
lesser  supply  of  food  by  aquatic  plants.  When  inorganic 
matter  has  once  passed  through  the  medium  of  plants  into 
suitable  food  for  animals,  it  is  retained  in  that  state 


THE  FOOD  OF  ANIMALS.  203 

through  the  instrumentality  of  animalcules,  which  serve 
as  a  guard  over  every  avenue  of  its  return  into  its  original 
state.  In  this  way  abundant  means  of  food  is  furnished 
to  all  the  grades  of  aquatic  animal  life  ;  and  thus  the  other- 
wise too  scanty  vegetation  of  the  waters  is  made  sufficient 
to  the  end  in  view.  The  plant  product — the  organic  mat- 
ter, be  it  vegetable  or  animal — is  seized  upon  in  all  its 
stages  of  decomposition  by  the  animalcules  which  exist  in 
myriads,  and  is  thus  converted  into  their  own  tissue,  and 
turned  back  into  animal  life  in  its  various  grades,  they 
themselves  being  preyed  upon  by  larger  classes  of  animals. 
Now,  all  this  is  a  part  of  a  vast,  complicated,  and  yet 
harmonious  system  ordained  by  God,  and  made  to  operate 
in  perfect  accordance  with  all  his  other  systems.  This 
perfect  whole  is  entirely  at  variance  with  the  idea  of  the 
theologians,  that  God's  original  purpose  was  that  each 
individual  creature  in  the  sea,  as  well  as  on  land,  should 
live  forever  on  vegetable  matter  alone — that  is  to  say,  if 
the  inhabitants  of  the  waters  were  to  exist  in  anything 
like  the  numbers  in  which  we  find  them  now.  If  vege- 
table matter  only  was  to  be  food  for  them,  such  food  must 
have  been  vastly  increased  in  quantity.  Otherwise,  not 
one  aquatic  animal  could  exist,  in  proportion  to  the  thou- 
sands that  now  teem  in  the  waters.  And  the  same  would 
have  been  the  case,  in  a  less  degree,  with  land  animals,  if 
all  were  dependent  on  vegetable  food  alone  and  one  did 
not  prey  upon  the  other.  We  conclude,  therefore,  that,  if 
the  theological  view  of  the  original  ordinances  of  God  in 
relation  to  animal  creation  is  right,  then  the  animalcules 
found  both  in  fresh  and  salt  water,  in  which  decaying 
vegetable  or  animal  matter  exists,  had  no  office,  or  at  least 
not  their  present  use  in  the  economy  of  Nature. 


204  ONE  RELIGION:   MANY  CREEDS. 

Let  us  look  now  at  another  branch  of  this  interesting 
subject.  To  ensure  that  the  face  of  the  earth  shall  be 
perpetually  clothed  with  verdure,  most  beautiful  to  the 
eye  and  most  pleasing  to  the  taste,  God  has  caused  the 
seeds  of  innumerable  varieties  of  plants  to  be  produced 
in  superabundance,  to  be  wafted  by  the  winds  or  carried 
by  the  waters  over  and  through  hill  and  dale  and  valley, 
and  sowed  by  the  birds  of  the  air  and  the  beasts  of  the 
field  and  forest.  Numerous  and  manifold  x are  the  seeds 
thus  scattered  abroad ;  and  these  take  root  and  spring  up, 
in  proportion  to  the  space  and  fertility  of  the  soil  requi- 
site for  the  rearing  of  healthy  specimens.  The  multi- 
plicity of  seeds,  and  the  varied  and  ample  mode  of  dis- 
tribution that  prevails,  not  only  ensures  that  there  shall 
be  no  lack  in  numbers  and  dissemination  ;  it  furnishes  an 
abundance  from  which  to  select  the  best  samples.  This 
God  has  provided  for  by  His  unalterable  laws,  as  well  in 
the  vegetable  as  in  the  animal  world.  And  those  laws 
operate  in  favor  of  the  specimens  of  each  variety,  whose 
incipient  stage  gives  the*  best  promise  for  future  excel- 
lence. The  young  tree  or  bush,  that  makes  haste — if  we 
may  so  speak — to  shoot  above  and  over-top  its  neighbors, 
receives  upon  its  branches  and  leaves  more  light,  more 
air,  and  more  of  the  rays  of  the  sun,  so  essential  to  its 
growth,  than  is  the  case  with  the  less  thrifty  of  its  kind 
standing  near  by.  This  is  true,  in  various  degrees,  with 
every  variety  of  plant  and  herb.  To  that  which  hath, 
more  is  given.  The  unthrifty  fall  a  prey  to  the  strong  of 
their  own,  or  other  kinds ;  and  this  applies  with  equal,  if 
not  with  greater  force,  to  animal  as  to  vegetable  life. 
The  weak  and  unthrifty  have  impediments  thrown  in 
their  way  that  the  strong  -know  not  of.  To  the  same  end, 
is  the  greater  belligerent  propensity  of  male  than  of 


BEAUTIFUL  LAWS  OF  NATURE.  205 

female  animals.  It  is  in  order  that  the  progeny  may  be 
sired  by  the  more  healthy  and  vigorous  of  the  respective 
kinds ;  and  hence  a  higher  grade  of  excellence  is  main- 
tained among  the  animal  tribes  than  would  otherwise  be 
the  case.  From  this  rivalry  for  precedence  in  the  animal 
department  of  nature,  as  well  as  the  vegetable,  death 
frequently  ensues.  Even  death,  we  say,  so  far  as  we 
can  see,  is  ordained  to  the  end  that  life  may  be  more 
abundant,  beautiful,  and  excellent;  that  freshness,  buoy- 
ancy, and  the  green  leaf  may  predominate.  Was  this 
forced  unexpectedly  upon  Omnipotence,  by  the  sin  of 
Adam,  or  was  it  originally  ordained  as  the  result  of  God's 
wisdom  and  goodness?  Although  we  may  not  compre- 
hend the  length  and  breadth  of  God's  logic  in  all  this, 
nevertheless  our  faith  is  complete  that  it  is  and  was  right, 
first  and  last — Christian  theology  to  the  contrary,  not- 
withstanding. The  present  order  has,  most  unquestion- 
ably, much  to  do  with  the  keeping  of  all  the  things  of 
the  earth,  fresh,  beautiful,  and  more  comely  than  would 
otherwise  be  the  case. 

Upon  the  whole,  it  is  evident,  therefore,  that  the  laws 
pertaining  to  the  animal  and  vegetable  portion  of  the 
world  were,  at  the  first,  adjusted  to  the  order  of  things  as 
they  now  exist.  Death  and  decomposition  were  intended 
constantly  to  contribute  to  a  new  organization  of  life  and 
beauty.  If  not,  Adam's  one  mistake  operated  to  convict 
God  of  millions  of  mistakes,  involving  a  radical  change 
in  man,  and  the  lower  animals  to  suit  them  to  present  cir- 
cumstances. Now,  which  of  these  two  propositions  is  the 
more  credible,  and  more  in  accordance  with  true  religion 

o 

and  reverence  for  our  Maker — that  God  made  the  blunder 
in  question,  or  that  the  story  has  its  origin  and  advocacy 
in  the  priesthood  ?  Grant  that  there  was  a  time  when 


906  ONE  RELIGION:  MANY  CREEDS. 

the  first  man  had  not  performed  any  act  either  good  or 
bad,  pertaining  to  the  duties  for  which  he  was  held 
responsible.  So  circumstanced,  he  was,  of  course,  with- 
out committed  sin,  and  therefore  personally  innocent.  Is 
not  this  true,  at  some  time,  with  regard  to  every  man 
that  ever  arrived  at  a  moral  accountability  ?  In  this 
respect,  at  least,  it  is  evident  that  all  men — including 
Adam — start,  on  a  perfect  equality,  to  traverse  their 
course  through  time  and  in  eternity.  Now,  that  Adam 
was,  from  the  first,  gifted  with  some  agency  over  his 
volitions  and  actions,  and  that  his  original  nature  and 
knowledge  was  not  such  as  to  ensure  that  he  would  not 
err  in  the  exercise  of  his  limited  agency,  is  shown  by  the 
Bible  story  of  his  fall.  That  he  did  err,  precisely  after 
the  manner  of  all  men,  as  soon  as  he  was  put  to  the  test, 
is  also  shown  by  the  same  account. 

It  is,  therefore,  difficult  to  see  how  it  can  be  said  that 
Adam  in  any  way  differed,  from  first  to  last,  from  the 
present  type  of  humanity.  Standing  as  a  figure  of  the 
first  man,  Adam  was,  at  one  period  of  his  existence, 
guiltless  of  any  committed  or  personal  sin,  and  to  that 
extent,  in  God's  sight  he  was  innocent,  true  and  good. 
Every  man,  arriving  at  a  state  of  accountability,  is  pre- 
cisely in  the  same  condition.  But,  say  the  Churches, 
man's  nature  is  corrupt ;  he  is  at  enmity  with  God ; 
and  this  was  brought  about  by  Adam's  sin, — where  is 
the  evidence  ?  If  all  men,  at  one  period  of  their  lives, 
advance  from  the  same  stand-point,  all  men  like  Adam, 
being  fallible,  are  not  only  liable — but  they  are  sure  to 
err.  Adam  so  erred,  without  having  been  subject  to  the 
taint  of  corruption — as  the  theologians  have  it — by  the 
sin  of  any  preceding  man.  The  Bible  narrative  on  this 
subject  leads  to  the  inference,  that,  very  early  after  he 


GOD'S  ORIGINAL  LAWS  UNCHANGED.  207 

was  put  to  the  test  of  choosing  the  good  and  avoiding  the 
evil — which  is  literally  the  business  of  life  with  all  men — 
he  did  precisely  the.  same  thing  that  all  other  men  do. 
At  times  he  did  what  is  right ;  and  at  times  he  did  what 
is  wrong.  It  is  in  that  way  we  gain  experience,  and  are 
trained  to  the  practice  of  virtue.  God  alone  is  always 
right,  always  good  ;  and  the  idea  that  He  originally 
cretted  man  short-sighted  and  liable  to  err,  as  we  now  see 
him,  militates  nothing  against  His  goodness,  since  He  has 
ordained  that  which  shall  be  effectual  to  the  diminution 
of  man's  ignorance  and  the  supplying  of  his  short-com- 
ings, by  His  own  infinite  knowledge  and  perfection.  God 
has  never  been  thwarted,  disconcerted,  nor  interfered  with, 
in  the  slightest  degree,  by  either  man  or  devil.  He  is 
supreme  in  all  things.  His  plans  and  doings  were  all 
perfect  from  the  first,  and  need  no  altering.  They  cannot 
be  altered.  The  very  idea  of  God,  when  contemplated  in 
the  fullness  in  which  it  is  man's  highest  privilege  to  view 
Him,  amounts  to  demonstration  that  He  is  unchangeable. 
This  alone  is  consistent  with  the  perfections  of  God,  and 
in  direct  opposition  to  the  teachings  of  Christian  theology. 
We  insist,  therefore,  that  man  and  all  the  lower  animals 
that  now  inhabit  the  earth  bear  the  same  stamp  and 
impress  that  God  originally  gave  them  ;  and  that  human 
nature  is  ever  the  same  in  its  incipient  stage — subject  to 
be  assimilated  more  and  more  toward  God's  perfections, 
under  the  influence  and  teaching;  of  His  unchanging  laws, 

^  O        O 

ordained  for  the  purpose  at  man's  creation.  This  may, 
figuratively,  be  termed  the m  partaking  of  the  tree  of  know- 
ledge of  good  and  evil.  None  are  shut  out  from  it.  All 
eat  of  it,  even  in  this  first  stage  of  our  existence  ;  but 
with  various  degrees  of  success ;  and  in  God's  good  time, 


208  ONE  RELIGION:  MANY  CREEDS. 

none  will  fail  to  profit  by  it.  We  shall  eat,  and  live 
forever. 

If  on  the  other  hand,  it  shall  be  alleged  that  God  fore- 
saw what  Adam  would  do  in  the  matter  in  question,  and 
provided  all  things  before-hand  so  as  to  meet  the  exact 
case,  so  say  we  ;  and  Adam  as  the  representative  of  man- 
kind, is  now  as  at  first,  and  as  God  intended  he  should  be 
from  the  first. 

In  relation  to  the  origin  of  man,  we  cite  the  following 
extracts  from  Humbolt  and  other  German  writers,  which 
in  substance  repudiate  the  Hebrew  tradition  : 

"  We  do  not  know,"  says  Wilhelm  von  Humbolt  in  an 
unpublished  work,  "  either  from  history  or  from  authentic 
tradition,  any  period  of  time  in  which  the  human  race  has 
not  been  divided  into  groups.  Whether  the  gregarious 
condition  was  original,  or  of  subsequent  occurrence,  we 
have  no  historic  evidence  to  show.  The  separate  mythi- 
cal relations,  found  to  exist  independently  of  one  another 
in  different  parts  of  the  earth,  appear  to  refute  the  first 
hypothesis  :  and  concur  in  ascribing  the  generation  of  the 
human  race  to  one  pair.  The  general  prevalence  of  this 
myth  has  caused  it  to  be  regarded  as  a  traditionary 
record,  transmitted  from  the  primitive  man  to  his  descend- 
ants. But  this  very  circumstance  seems  rather  to  prove 
that  it  has  no  historical  foundation,  but  has  simply  arisen 
from  an  identity  in  the  mode  of  intellectual  conception, 
which  has  everywhere  led  men  to  adopt  the  same  conclu- 
sions regarding  identical  phenomena  ;  in  the  same  manner 
as  many  myths  have  doubtless  arisen,  not  from  any  his- 
torical connection  existing  between  them,  but  from  an 
identity  of  human  thought  and  imagination.  It  is  in 
vain  that  we  direct  our  thoughts  to  the  solution  of  the 
great  problem  of  the  first  origin ;  since  man  is  too  inti- 


ORIGIN  OF  THE  HUMAN  RACE.  209 

mately  associated  with  bis  own  race,  and  with  the  rela- 
tions of  time,  to  conceive  of  the  existence  of  an  individual, 
independently  of  a  preceding  generation  and  age." 

"  Nothing  remains  but  to  embrace  the  opinion,  that  the 
distinct  characteristics  of  the  human  race  were  imprinted 
at  all  times ;  or  that  in  general  mankind  does  not  descend 
from  one  man  and  woman, — from  Adam  and  Eve — but 
from  several  human  pairs." 

"  Inasmuch,  as  it  has  never  yet  occurred  to  anybody  to 
sustain  that  all  figs  have  sprung  from  a  solitary  primitive 
fig,  even  as  little  can  any  one  admit  the  whole  of  man- 
kind to  be  derived  lineally  from  a  single  human  pair. 
Wherever  the  conditions  of  life  were  found,  life  has 
sprung  forth." 

According  to  these  views,  the  whole  story  in  the  Book 
of  Genesis  relating  to  Adam  and  Eve — which  is  the  sole 
authority  as  to  the  first  human  pair  being  placed  in  the 
Garden  of  Eden — is  altogether  fallacious,  a  view  in  which 
we  entirely  concur. 

Now,  as  the  Christian  theology  is  wholly  based  on  the 
story  taken  in  its  literal  significance,  upon  the  authority 
of  a  single  person  who  is  claimed  to  have  recorded  it  two 
thousand  years  after  its  supposed  occurrence,  there  is  cer- 
tainly left  but  a  very  slender  foundation,  whereon  to  build 
one's  hopes  or  fears  of  eternal  salvation  or  destruction. 

We  find  that,  according  to  Bible  narrative,  Adam  was 
created  in  such  a  condition  of  life  that  had  he  not  broken 
the  commandment  of  God,  he  would  have  enjoyed  it  in 
the  paradise  of  Eden,  everlastingly.  But  he  ate  of  the 
tree  of  knowledge  of  good  and  evil,  of  which  God  had 
told  him :  "Thou  shalt  not  eat  of  it;  for  in  the  day  that 
thou  eatest  thereof,  thou  shalt  surely  die."  And  now,  lest 
he  should  put  forth  his  hand,  and  eat  of  the  tree  of  life  and 
H 


210  ONE  RELIGION:  MANY  CREEDS. 

live  forever,  God  thrust  him  out  of  Paradise.  By  which 
it  appears,  that  if  Adam  had  not  sinned,  he  would  have 
had  an  eternal  life  on  earth,  both  bodily  and  spiritually. 
But,  as  he  did,  physical  mortality  became  the  lot,  both  of 
him  and  his  posterity.  Not  that  actual  death  then 
entered ;  for  Adam  then  could  never  have  had  children  ; 
whereas,  he  lived  long  after,  and  saw  a  numerous  progeny 
spring  up  around  him.  Where  therefore  it  is  said,  "  In 
the  day  that  thou  eatest  thereof,  thou  shalt  surely  die," — 
Genesis,  ii.  17;  and,  "unto  dust  shalt  thou  return," — 
Genesis,  iii.  19  ;  it  must  needs  be  meant  that  his  body 
would  become  mortal,  and  be  sure  to  suffer  death. 

But,  added  to  this  idea,  the  theology  of  the  Christian 
churches  teaches  also,  that  Adam's  sin  degraded  the 
spiritual  nature  of  mankind.  This  doctrine  is  not  war- 
ranted by  the  language  of  the  Bible.  "  For  God  doth 
know,  that  in  the  day  ye  eat  thereof,  then  your  eyes 
shall  be  opened ;  and  ye  shall  be  as  gods,  knowing  good 
and  evil." — Genesis,  iii.  5.  "And  the  Lord  God  said, 
Behold,  the  man  is  become  as  one  of  us,  to  know  good 
and  evil ;  and  now,  lest  he  put  forth  his  hand,  and  take 
also  of  the  tree  of  life,  and  eat,  and  live  forever :  There- 
fore the  Lord  God  sent  him  forth  from  the  garden  of 
.Eden,  to  till  the  ground  from  whence  he  was  taken." — 
Genesis,  iii.  22,  23. 

Now,  it  is  difficult  so  perceive  how  man's  arriving  at  a 
knowledge  of  good  and  evil,  and  thereby  assimilating 
himself  to  God,  is  to  be  construed  into  man's  degradation 

O 

or  fall.  Is  it  not  rather  an  advance  in  the  right  direc- 
tion? Does  not  knowledge  tend  to  elevate,  rather  than 
to  degrade?  Some  knowledge  must  be  had  of  evil,  in 
order  to  lead  us  to  the  highest  appreciation  of  the  good, 
the  true,  and  the  right.  God  therefore  trains  man  in  the 


ETERNAL  LIFE  IS  TO  BE  EARTHLY.  211 

direction  of  his  own  perfections,  by  rewarding  virtue  and 
punishing  vice,  which  tends  to  constantly  increasing 
knowledge  of  good  and  evil ;  and  thus  man  is  conducted 
to  the  happy  destiny  which  God  designed  for  him. 

But  to  proceed  with  the  argument  on  the  theory  that 
man  did  fall,  and  that  it  became  necessary  that  some  one 
should  restore  him. 

If,  as  it  is  said,  Jesus  has  made  satisfaction  for  the  sins 
of  all  that  believe  in  him,  and  therefore  recovers  to  all 
believers  that  "  Eternal  life  "  which  was  lost  by  the  sin 
of  Adam,  it  must,  in  this  sense,  be  recovered  for  them  on 
earth.  Herein,  alone,  is  it  that  the  comparison  of  St. 

A 

Paul  holds  good,  when  he  says,  "As  by  the  offence  of  one, 
judgment  came  upon  all  men  to  condemnation,  even  so 
by  the  righteousness  of  one,  the  free  gift  came  upon  all 
men  to  justification  of  life." — Romans,  v.  18,  19;  or  as 
he  more  perspicuously  expresses  it,  in  those  other  words 
of  his :  "  For  as  in  Adam  all  die,  even  so  in  Christ  shall 
all  be  made  alive." — 1  Corinthians,  xv.  22. 

The  place  then,  wherein  men  are  to  enjoy  eternal  life, 
which  Jesus  hath  obtained  -for  them,  can  be  none  other 
.  than  here,  where,  having  first  obtained  it,  they  lost  it ; 
and  where,  last  of  all,  they  recover  it  again,  through  him. 
For  if,  as  in  Adam  all  die,  that  is,  if  in  Adam  all  have 
forfeited  paradise  and  eternal  life  on  earth,  and  returned 
to  dust  again  ;  even  so  in  Christ  shall  all  be  made  alive, 
that  is,  all  shall  be  made  alive  on  earth,  in  the  flesh.  If 
tins,  we  say,  be  not  the  meaning  of  the  words,  then 
words  fail  to  convey  any  adequate  idea  of  the  text.  The 
Psalmist  not  only  corroborates,  but  he  strengthens  this 
view  of  the  subject.  "  For  there,"  says  he,  that  is  on 
Mount  Zion,  (the  place  which  is  made  to  represent  Jeru- 
salem upon  earth,)  "the  Lord  commanded  the  blessing, 


2J2  ONE  RELIGION:  MANY  CREEDS. 

even  life  forever  more."-— Psalm,  cxxxiii.  3.  Jolm  also, 
in  the  Revelations,  does  the  same  thing:  "To  him  that 
overcometh,  I  will  give  to  eat  of  the  tree  of  life,  which  is 
in  the  midst  of  the  paradise  of  God." — Revelations,  ii.  7. 
This  was  the  tree  of  Adam's  eternal  life,  which,  from  the 
wording  of  the  fable,  was  evidently  intended  to  be  on 
earth.  But,  for  our  further  confirmation,  the  same  Apostle 
says  again,  "I,  John,  saw  the  holy  city,  the  new  Jeru- 
salem, coming  down  from  God  out  of  heaven,  prepared  as 
a  bride  adorned  for  her  husband." — Revelations,  xxi.  2. 
And  again,  to  the  same  effect,  he  remarks,  "And  he  car- 
ried me  away  in  the  Spirit,  to  a  great  and  high  mountain, 
and  shewed  me  that  great  city,  the  holy  Jerusalem, 
descending  out  of  heaven  from  God," — Rev.  xxi.  10 ; 
implying  that  the  new  Jerusalem,  the  paradise  of  God,  at 
the  coming  again  of  Jesus,  should  come  down  to  God's 
people  from  heaven ;  and  not  that  they  should  go  up  to  it 
from  earth.  This  differs  nothing  from  that,  which  the 
two  men  in  white  clothing, — that  is,  the  two  angels,  said 
to  the  Apostles  who  were  looking  upon  Jesus  ascending: 
"  This  same  Jesus,  who  is  taken  up  from  you  into  heaven, 
shall  so  come,  as  you  have  seen  him  go  into  heaven." — 
Acts,  i.  11.  This  is  equivalent  to  saying  that  Jesus  will 
come  down  to  govern  them  under  his  Father,  here,  eter- 
nally; and  not  take  them  up,  to  govern  them  in  Heaven 
above.  It  answers  also  to  the  restoration  of  the  kingdom 
of  God  instituted  under  Moses,  which  was  a  political 
government  of  the  Jews  on  earth. 

Now — referring  again  to  the  first  part  of  the  argument — 
if  Adam  and  Eve  had  not  sinned,  and  had  lived  on  the 
earth,  together  with  their  posterity,  forever,  it  is  manifest 
that  the  earth  could  not  have  contained  the  aggregate.  If 
immortals  could  have  generated  as  mankind  do  now,  the 


SALVATION  NOT  SPIRITUAL.  213 

earth,  in  a  short  space  of  time,  would  not  have  sufficed  for 
them  to  live  in. 

Again,  the  joys  of  that  "  life  eternal,"  in  Scripture  lan- 
guage, are  all  comprehended  under  the  name  of  Salvation. 
Now,  to  be  saved,  is  to  be  secured,  either  respectively 
against  special  evils,  or  absolutely  against  all  evils — com- 
prehending want,  sickness,  and  even  death  itself.  If, 
therefore,  man  was  created  an  immortal  being,  not  subject 
to  corruption,  and  having  nothing  in  him  that  tends  to 
dissolution,  and  if  he  fell  from  that  state  of  happiness  by 
the  sin  of  Adam,  it  follows  that  to  be  saved  from  sin,  in 
his  case,  is  to  be  saved  from  all  the  evils  and  calamities 
that  sin  brought  upon  him.  .  So  that  the  meaning  of  the 
Scriptural  term,  "remission  of  sins,"  is  one  and  the  same 
with  salvation  from  death  and  misery.  This  is  manifest 
from  the  words  of  Jesus,  when  he  cured  a  man  sick  of  the 
palsy,  He  began  by  saying,  "Son,  be  of  good  cheer,  thy 
sins  be  forgiven  thee "  (Matthew,  ix.  2 ;)  and,  being 
murmured  at  by  the  Scribes  for  this  act,  asked  them, 
"Whether  is  it  easier  to  say,  Thy  sins  be  forgiven  thee, 
or  to  say,  Arise  and  walk?"  (Matthew,  ix.  5.)  Of  course, 
he  meant  that  the  two  things  were  synonymous — that 
"Thy  sins  be  forgiven  thee,"  and  "Arise  and  walk," 
would  produce  the  same  effect.  Reason,  too,  teaches  us 
that  since  death  and  misery  are,  according  to  Bible  teach- 
ing, the  punishments  of  sin,  redemption  from  sin  must  also 
be  redemption  from  death  and  misery  ;  that  is  to  say,  abso- 
lute salvation. 

But  salvation  may  also  be  a  special  remedy  against 
particular  evils — and  what  are  they  ?  Examples  are  the 
best  means  of  teaching  us.  "  And  he  said,  the  Lord  is  my 
rock,  and  my  fortress,  and  my  deliverer ;  the  God  of  my 
rock ;  in  Him  will  I  trust ;  He  is  my  shield  and  the 


2H  ONE  RELIGION  :  MANY  CREEDS. 

horn  of  my  salvation,  my  high  tower  and  my  refuge,  my 
Saviour — thou  savest  me  from  violence.  I  will  call  on 
the  Lord,  who  is  worthy  to  be  praised  :  so  shall  I  be  saved 
from  mine  enemies."  (2  Samuel,  xxii.  2,  3,  4.)  "And 
the  Lord  gave  Israel  a  Saviour,  so  that  they  went  out  from 
under  the  hand  of  the  Syrians  ;  and  the  children  of  Israel 
dwelt  in  their  tents,  as  beforetime."  (2  Kings,  xiii.  5.) 
Now,  these  quotations,  and  many  others  of  a  similar 
character,  which  could  be  selected,  most  unquestionably 
have  reference  to  the  realization  of  an  earthly  salvation, 
which  is  described  and  marked  out  precisely  at  length  in 
the  following  passages  from,  the  book  of  Isaiah :  "  Look 
upon  Zion,  the  city  of  our  solemnities ;  thine  eyes  shall 
see  Jerusalem,  a  quiet  habitation,  a  tabernacle  that  shall 
not  be  taken  down;  not  one  of  the  stakes  thereof  shall 
ever  be  removed,  neither  shall  any  of  the  cords  thereof  be 
broken.  But  there  the  glorious  Lord  will  be  unto  us  a 
place  of  broad  rivers  and  streams ;  wherein  shall  go  no 
galley  with  oars,  neither  shall  gallant  ship  pass  thereby. 
For  the  Lord  is  our  judge,  the  Lord  is  our  law-giver,  the 
Lord  is  our  King ;  he  will  save  us.  Thy  tacklings  are 
loosed ;  they  could  not  well  strengthen  their  mast ;  they 
could  not  spread  the  sail ;  then  is  the  prey  of  a  great  spoil 
divided ;  the  lame  take  the  prey.  And  the  inhabitants 
shall  not  say,  I  am  sick ;  the  people  that  dwell  therein 
shall  be  forgiven  their  iniquity."  (Isaiah,  xxxiii.  20,  24.) 
In  these  words  we  have  the  place  from  whence  salvation 
is  to  proceed,  namely,  "  Jerusalem,"  "  a  quiet  habitation  ;" 
and  the  eternity  of  it,  "a  tabernacle  that  shall  not  be 
taken  down,"  &c.  Is  it  not,  therefore,  evident  that  the 
Scriptures  foretell  that  salvation  shall  be  on  this  earth? 
If  this  is  not  sufficiently  emphatic,  examine  the  following 
texts  from  the  same  prophet.  "And  they  (that  is,  the 


SALVATION  NOT  SPIRITUAL.  215 

Gentiles  who  had  any  Jew  in  bondage)  shall  bring  all 
your  brethren,  for  an  offering  unto  the  Lord  out  of  all 
nations,  upon  horses  and  in  chariots,  and  in  litters,  and 
upon  mules,  and  upon  swift  beasts,  to  my  holy  mountain 
Jerusalem,  saith  the  Lord,  as  the  children  of  Israel  bring 
an  offering  in  a  clean  vessel  into  the  house  of  the  Lord." 
"  And  I  will  also  take  of  them  for  priests  and  for  Levites, 
saith  the  Lord."  (Isaiah,  Ixvi.  20,  21.)  Whereby  it  is 
manifest  that  the  chief  seat  of  God's  kingdom,  which  is 
the  place  from  whence  the  salvation  of  the  Gentiles  was 
to  proceed,  was  Jerusalem. 

But,  to  pursue  this  subject  still  further :  The  prophet 
Joel,  in  describing  the  day  of  judgment,  says  that  God 
will  "  shew  wonders  in  Heaven,  and  in  earth,  blood,  and 
fire,  and  pillars  of  smoke ;  the  sun  shall  be  turned  into 
darkness,  and  the  moon  into  blood,  before  the  great  and 
terrible  day  of  the  Lord  come.  And  it  shall  come  to  pass 
that  whosoever  shall  call  upon  the  name  of  the  Lord  shall 
be  delivered :  for  in  Mount  Zion  and  in  Jerusalem  shall  be 
deliverance."  (Joel,  ii.  30,  31,  32.)  Obediah,  in  his 
single  chapter,  says  the  same  thing :  "  Upon  Mount  Zion 
shall  be  deliverance,  and  there  shall  be  holiness ;  and  the 
house  of  Jacob  shall  posess  their  possessions  "  (verse  17) — 
that  is,  the  possessions  of  the  heathen.  These  possessions 
he  designates  more  particularly  in  the  following  verses,  by 
the  title  of  "  the  Mount  of  Esau,"  "  the  Land  of  the  Phil- 
istines," "the  fields  of  Ephraim,"  "of  Samaria,"  "Gilead," 
and  "  the  cities  of  the  South  ;"  and  then  he  concludes  with 
these  words,  "  the  kingdom  shall  be  the  Lord's."  All 
these  places  are  said  to  be  for  salvation, -and  for  the  king- 
dom of  God,  after  the  day  of  judgment  upon  earth. 

By  examining  the  term  "world,"  as  made  use  of  in  the 
Bible,  this  will  become  still  more  apparent.  There  we 


216  ONE  RELIGION:  MANY  CREEDS. 

have  it  referred  to  in  three  different  senses,  as  the  old 
world,  the  present  world,  and  the  world  to  come.  Of  the 
first,  St.  Peter  speaks  in  the  following  language,  "  And 
spared  not  the  old  world,  but  saved  Noah  the  eighth  per- 
son, a  preacher  of  righteousness,  bringing  the  flood  upon 
the  world  of  the  ungodly." — 2  Peter,  ii.  5 — which  evi- 
dently means  the  world  that  existed  from  Adam,  to  what 
is  called  the  Deluge.  Of  the  present  world,  Jesus  him- 
self thus  speaks,  "My  kingdom  is  not  of  this  world;  if 
my  kingdom  were  of  this  world,  then  would  my  servants 
fight  that  I  should  not  be  delivered  to  the  Jews." — John, 
xviii.  36. — Jesus  means  the  world  then  actually  around 
him,  which  was  then,  and  which  is  now,  inhabited  by  the 
human  race,  as  contradistinguished  from  the  world  over 
which  he  expected  to  rule  at  his  second  coming.  And  of 
this  world  to  come  to  which  Christ  alluded,  the  Apostle 
Peter  again  enlightens  us:  "Nevertheless  we,  according 
to  his  promise,  look  for  new  heavens,  and  a  new  earth 
wherein  dwelleth  righteousness." — 2  Peter,  iii.  13.  This 
is  also  that  world,  whereunto  Christ  coming  down  from 
heaven  in  the  clouds,  with  great  power  and  glory,  shall 
send  his  angels,  and  shall  gather  together  his  elect  from 
the  four  winds,  arid  from  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth, 
and  thenceforth  reign  over  them  under  his  Father,  ever- 
lastingly. 

The  only  article  of  faith,  which  the  Scriptures  make 
simply  necessary  to  salvation,  is  this,  that  Jesus  is  "The 
Christ."  By  the  name  of  Christ,  at  that  time,  was  under- 
stood "The  king;"  the  anointed  one;  the  one  whom 
God  had  before  promised,  by  the  prophets  of  the  Old  Tes- 
tament, to  send  into  the  world,  to  reign  over  the  Jews, 
and  over  such  nations  as  should  believe  in  him,  under 
himself,  eternally ;  and  to  give  them  that  eternal  life, 


THE  WORLD,  PAST,  PRESENT  AND  FUTURE.     217 

which  was  lost  by  the  sin  of  Adam,  namely,  life  everlast- 
ing in  the  flesh  upon  earth.  The  aim  of  all  the  Evan- 
gelists, who  give  us  such  a  graphic  description  of  the  life 
of  Jesus,  was  to  establish  that  One  article  of  Faith,  that 
Jesus  is  "The  Christ."  The  sum  and  substance  of  Mat- 
thew's Gospel  is  this,  that  Jesus  was  of  the  stock  of 
David,  and  that  he  was  born  of  a  Virgin.  These  arc 
considered  perhaps,  the  strongest  marks  by  which  the 
true  Christ  was  to  be  identified ;  but  they  are  not  all. 
They  are  confirmed,  we  are  taught,  by  the  following  cor- 
roborative evidence.  The  Magi  came  to  worship  him  as 
such,  that  is  as  "The  King  of  the  Jews."  Herod,  for 
the  same  cause,  sought  to  kill  him.  John  the  Baptist 
proclaimed  him.  He  declared  himself;  and  his  Apostles 
also  preached,  that  he  taught  the  law,  not  as  a  scribe,  but 
as  a  man  of  authority — that  is,  as  a  man  in  a  supreme 
position.  He  cured  diseases  by  his  word  only,  and  did 
many  other  miracles,  which  t  were  foretold  the  Christ 
should  do.  He  was  saluted  king,  when  he  entered  into 
Jerusalem.  He  forewarned  his  disciples,  and  others,  to 
beware  of  any  except  himself,  who  should  pretend  to  be 
Christ.  He  was  taken,  accused,  and  put  to  death,  for 
saying  he  was  that  king.  The  cause  of  his  condemna- 
tion, written  on  the  cross,  was,  "Jesus  of  Nazareth,  The 
King  of  the  Jews."  All  these,  and  many  other  examples 
of  a  like  character,  teach,  (and  teach  nothing  more  nor 
less  than  this,)  that  men  should  believe  that  "Jesus  is  the 
Christ."  We  gather  these  quotations  from  the  History 
of  Jesus,  written  by  Matthew.  The  other  three  Evan- 
gelists who  wrote  of  him,  with  some  few  discrepancies, 
additions,  and  subtractions,  say  pretty  much  the  same 
things.  The  whole  and  sole  design  therefore  of  the  Evan- 
gelists, was  to  impress  and  establish  this  one  idea. 


218  ONE  RELIGION:  MANY  CREEDS. 

Indeed  John  makes  it  the  sum  total  of  his  history. 
"These  things  were  written,"  says  he,  "that  ye  might 
believe,  that  Jesus  is  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  God ;  and 
that  believing  ye  might  have  life  through  his  name," — 
John,  xx.  31 — that  is  to  say,  life  everlasting  upon  earth 
in  the  flesh.  The  Apostles,  even  in  the  lifetime  of  Jesus, 
were  sent  to  preach  the  kingdom  of  God:  "And  he  sent 
them  to  preach  the  kingdom  of  God." — Luke,  ix.  2. — 
And  again,  "As  ye  go,  preach,  saying,  The  kingdom  of 
heaven  is  at  hand." — Matthew,  x.  7.  Now  what  can 
we  gather  from  this,  but  that  he  sent  them  to  preach 
that  he  was  "The  Messiah,"  "  The  Christ,"  "The  King," 
which  was  to  come  ?  Their  preaching,  likewise,  after  his 
death,  was  the  same.  This  is  manifest  from  an  account 
which  Luke  gives  in  the  Book  of  Acts,  of  a  riot  which 
such  preaching  occasioned  at  Thessalonica.  "The  Jews," 
says  he,  "  which  believed  not,  moved  with  envy,  took 
unto  them  certain  lewd  fellows  of  the  baser  sort,  and 
gathered  a  company,  and  set  all  the  city  on  an  uproar, 
and  assaulted  the  house  of  Jason,  and  sought  to  bring 
them  out  to  the  people.  And  when  they  found  them  not, 
they  drew  Jason  and  certain  brethren  unto  the  rulers  of 
the  city,  crying,  these  that  have  turned  the  world  upside 
down,  are  come  hither  also,  whom  Jason  hath  received; 
and  these  all  do  contrary  to  the  decrees  of  Caesar  ;  saying 
that  there  is  another  King,  one  Jesus." — Acts,  xvii. 
5,  6,  7. 

Jesus  himself,  no  doubt,  at  one  period  of  his  life, 
favored  this  idea.  The  following  suggestion  which  he 
made  to  the  Jews  with  reference  to  himself  evidences  that 
he  did,  "Search  the  Scriptures;  for  in  them  ye  think  ye 
have  eternal  life ;  and  they  are  they  that  testify  of  me." 
John,  v.  39.  Of  course  he  could  have  reference,  in  these 


CHRIST'S  PRETENDED  MIRACLES.  219 

words,  to  no  other  writings  than  those  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment, the  New  Testament  not  then  being  in  existence. 
Admitting  then  that  the  Old  Testament  Scriptures  do 
bear  all  the  marks  whereby  men  might  have  known  Jesus 
when  he  came  amono:  them — such  as  those  to  which  we 

O 

have  before  referred,  to  wit:  that  he  should  descend  from 
David  ;  be  born  at  Bethlehem,  and  of  a  Virgin ;  and  that 
he  should  do  great  miracles  by  which  it  should  be  known 
that  he  was  come  to  be  a  temporal  King;  and,  The  King 
of  the  Jews ; — which  he  never  was — still,  does  this  war- 
rant theologians  in  putting  a  totally  different  construction 
on  it,  by  going  further  and  saying  that  he  was  not  only  a 
temporal  king,  but  that  he  was  the  King  of  Kings,  and 
Lord  of  Lords?  What  authority  have  they  for  doing 
this  ?  We  shall  presently  shew. 

The  principal  evidence,  which  Christians  have  to  pro- 
duce in  support  of  the  Divinity  of  Jesus  is  the  working  of 
miracles.  In  order  to  claim  credence  for  his  miracles, 
they  are  necessarily  compelled  to  admit  the  validity  of 
the  miracles  of  Moses  and  of  the  Old  Testament  gene- 
rally, some  of  which  are  said  to  have  been  wrought  by 
persons  who  were  considered  types  of  Jesus.  We  will 
examine  into  the  nature  of  these  first,  therefore.  Now  it 
must  be  admitted  that  there  are  some  references  made  in 
the  Scriptures  themselves,  to  the  power  of  working  won- 
ders, even  by  men  who  were  represented  to  be  at  variance 
with  God  and  His  people.  In  fact,  the  ability  to  perform 
such  acts  is  conceded  to  them.  But  they  are  also  said  to 
have  been  produced  by  magic  and  incantation. 

For  example,  when  we  read  that  after  the  rod  of  Moses 
had  been  cast  on  the  ground,  and  had  become  a  serpent, 
(Exodus,  vii.  2,)  the  magicians  of  Egypt  did  the  same  by 
their  enchantments.  Again,  after  Moses  had  turned  the 


220  ONE  RELIGION  :  MANY  CREEDS. 

waters  of  the  Egyptian  streams,  rivers,  ponds,  and  pools 
of  water  into  blood — Exodus,  vii.  22 — the  magicians  did 
so  likewise  by  their  enchantments.  And  again,  when 
Aaron  had,  by  the  power  of  God,  brought  frogs  upon  the 
land — Exodus,  viii.  6 — the  magicians  also  did  so  by  their 
enchantments,  and  they  "  brought  up  frogs  upon  the  land 
of  Egypt." 

Now,  enchantment  is  not,  as  many  think  it,  a  working 
of  strange  effects  by  spells  and  words,  but  imposture  and 
delusion  wrought  by  legerdemain ;  and  so  far  is  it  from 
being  supernatural,  that  the  impostors,  who  practice  it, 
resort  neither  to  the  study  of  science  nor  of  nature.  Ail 
they  do  is  to  impose  upon  the  ignorance,  stupidity,  and 
superstition  of  the  most  credulous.  So  that  all  that  mira- 
cle-working consists  in  is  this,  that  the  enchanter  has 
made  himself  master  in  the  art  of  deception.  It  is,  there- 
fore, not  a  good  or  laudable  thing  to  do  ;  it  is  bad,  wicked, 
and  detestable  ;  and  abhorrent  to  every  sensible  mind. 

What  a  reputation  for  miraculous  powers  (before  the 
science  of  the  course  of  the  stars  was  discovered)  might 
not  a  man  have  gained,  had  he  truly  foretold,  that  on  a 
certain  day  or  at  a  certain  hour,  the  Sun  would  be  dark- 
ened !  A  juggler,  also,  by  handling  the  appliances  of  his 
profession,  (if  such  tricks  were  not  now  ordinarily  prac- 
tised,) might  gain  for  himself  such  renown  for  ability  to 
work  miracles,  as  would  suggest  that  he  was  aided  by  the 
devil,  at  least,  if  by  no  higher  power. 

But  when  we  take  a  more  sensible  view  of  the  matter, 
and  look  upon  the  impostures  which  are  wrought  by  con- 
federacy, there  are  few  things,  (however  impossible  they 
may  appear,)  that  cannot  be  done  or  seem  to  be  done. 
And,  however,  glaring  the  fraud  may  be,  it  still  finds 
dupes  enough  ready  to  believe  in  it.  Two  men  conspir- 


SOME  MIRACLES  EXPLAINED.  221 

ing,  one  to  seem  lame,  the  other  to  cure  him  with  a 
charm,  might  deceive  many ;  but  many  conspiring — one 
to  seem  lame,  another  to  cure  him,  and  all  the  rest  to 
bear  witness  to  the  cheat — might  deceive  many  men. 

The  seeming  miracle  of  raising  Lazarus  from  the  dead, 
(if  it  were  ever  enacted/)  was,  no  doubt,  the  result  of 
collusion ;  so  also  was  the  raising  to  life  of  the  ruler's 
daughter,  and  of  the  son  of  the  widow  of  Nain.  We  hesi- 
tate not  to  say  the  same  in  regard  to  all  other  instances, 
where  the  gaining  of  credence  in  miracle-working  has  been 
attempted. 

None  of  the  miracles,  with  which  the  old  histories  are 
filled,  took  place  at  a  period  of  scientific  culture.  Scruti- 
nizing observation,  which  has  never  once  been  deceived, 
teaches  us  that  miracles  never  happen,  save  in  times  and 
countries  wherein  they  are  believed  without  examination, 
and  before  persons  whose  minds  are  already  prepared  to 
believe  them.  No  miracle  ever  occurred,  in  the  pres- 
ence of  men  capable  of  testing  its  mysterious  character. 
Neither  common  people,  nor  men  of  the  world,  are  able  to 
apply  the  test.  It  requires  much  precaution  and  long 
habits  of  scientific  research.  In  our  days,  have  we  not 
seen  almost  all  respectable  people  made  dupes  of  by  the 
grossest  frauds  and  the  most  puerile  illusions  ?  Transac- 
tions said  to  be  marvellous  and  attested  by  the  whole 
population  of  small  towns,  have — thanks  to  a  severer 
scrutiny — been  satisfactorily  explained.  And,  if  it  can  be 
proved  that  no  contemporary  so-called  miracle  will  bear 
to  be  inquired  into,  is  it  not  probable  also,  nay,  is  it  not 
more  than  probable,  that  the  miracles  of  the  past,  which 
have  all  been  performed  among  an  ignorant  populace, 
would  equally  present  their  share  of  illusion,  were  it  pos- 
sible to  criticise  them  in  detail  ? 


222  ONE  RELIGION:   MANY  CREEDS. 

It  is  not,  then,  in  the  name  of  this  or  that  philosophy ; 
but  in  the  name  of  universal  experience,  that  we  banish 
miracles  from  history.  Up  to  this  time  the  performance 
of  a  miracle  has  never  been  proved. 

In  the  aptitude  of  mankind  to  give  too  hasty  belief  to 
pretended  miracles,  therefore,  how  very  wisely  put,  is  the 
caution  in  the  beginning  of  the  thirteenth  chapter,  and 
again,  at  the  end  of  the  eighteenth  chapter  of  Deuter- 
onomy— that  we  take  not  any  for  prophets,  who  teach  * 
any  other  religion,  than  that  which  God,  through  his 
messenger,  Moses,  hath  established ;  nor  any,  though  he 
teach  the  same  religion,  whose  prediction  we  do  not  see 
come  to  pass  ! 

Jesus  taught  another  religion  than  that  of  Moses ;  and 
his  prediction,  that  his  second  coming  would  be  during 
the  lifetime  of  some  who  heard  him  so  predict,  did  not 
come  to  pass.  By  this  it  is  proved,  that  the  Bible  test 
of  a  reliable  worker  of  miracles  is  adverse  to  the  preten- 
sions set  up  in  behalf  of  Jesus.  He  also  failed  to  estab- 
lish his  claim,  in  relation  to  having  been  sent  of  God  to 
be  temporal  ruler  of  the  Jews,  either  by  miracles  or  other- 
wise. Unfulfilled  also  is  the  idea  of  Jesus  in  relation  to 
the  destruction  of  the  earth  by  fire,  and  the  formation  of 
a  new  one  in  its  place,  wherein  he  claimed  that  the 
righteous  alone  were  to  dwell,  and  were  to  be  ruled  over 
by  him.  All  of  this  was  to  take  place,  according  to 
Jesus'  own  prediction,  before  the  then  generation  should 
pass  away ;  yet  now,  after  eighteen  hundred  years,  it 
remains  unaccomplished. 

We  add  a  few  remarks  in  regard  to  the  pretended 
miracles,  described  by  the  writers  of  the  New  Testament 
as  having  been  worked  by  Jesus. 


FURTHER  EXPLANATIONS.  223 

There  is  undoubtedly  a  class  of  diseases  which  may 
not  be  cured  by  a  charm,  or  by  the  force  of  imagination, 
or  immediately  by  soothing  influences. 

Of  this  sort  was  that  of  the  woman  with  the  issue  of 
blood  of  long  standing.  Yet  there  is  another  class  of 
complaints,  or  conceits,  which  may  be  so  cured,  or  at 
least  appear  for  a  time  to  be  so.  Hence,  the  account 
given  in  the  Gospels,  in  many  cases,  corresponds  to 
appearances  exhibited  at  the  time.  When  Jesus  dis- 
missed the  woman  having  the  issue  of  blood,  with  the 
words,  "Thy  faith  hath  made  thee  whole,"  he  could  not 
have  expressed  himself  more  modestly,  and,  it  may  be, 
that  he  spoke  not  altogether  inappropriately.  She  may 
in  some  degree  have  been  benefitted  by  her  faith ;  but 
she  could  not  have  been  instaneously  and  entirely  cured 
of  a  disorder,  like  the  one  in  question.  Faith,  hopeful- 
ness, and  buoyancy  of  spirits  have  a  marked  tendency  to 
produce  beneficial  effects,  and  generally  do  so  in  almost 
all  descriptions  of  diseases.  But  this  in  a  way  altogether 
natural,  never  supernatural  or  miraculous.  The  firm 
belief  which  many  persons  had  in  Jesus  as  a  wonder- 
worker, no  doubt  had  more  or  less  influence,  for  a  time  at 
least,  as  is  evident  from  the  fact  that  in  his  home  at 
Nazareth,  by  reason  of  the  unbelief  of  the  people,  it  was 
only  in  a  few  cases  that  he  had  succeeded. — Matthew, 
xiii.  58.  It  was  supposed,  at  the  period  in  question,  that 
there  were  processes,  more  or  less  efficacious,  for  driving 
diseases  away.  On  this  account,  the  occupation  of  exor- 
cist or  conjurer  was  a  regular  profession,  like  that  of  phy- 
sician, and  it  may  be  fairly  assumed  that  Jesus  had,  in 
his  lifetime,  the  reputation  of  possessing  the  profoundest 
secrets  of  this  art.  Many  singular  incidents  were  related, 
in  connection  with  his  cures,  in  which  the  credulity  of  the 


224  ONE  RELIGION:  MANY  CREEDS. 

people  gave  full  scope  for  his  encouragement,  as  at  this 
day.  In  Syria,  they  regard  as  mad,  or  possessed  by  a 
demon,  people  who  are  only  somewhat  eccentric.  A 
gentle  word  in  such  cases  often  suffices  to  drive  away  the 
demon.  And  such  were,  doubtless,  the  means  employed 
by  Jesus.  At  that  time,  also,  the  fashionable  form  of 
complaint  among  the  Jews  was,  possession  of  devils, 
which  accounts  for  his  popularity  as  a  caster  of  them  out. 
We  have  seen  this  morbid  condition  re-appearing  in  our 
own  days,  in  connection  with  the  newly  arisen  belief 
in  spirits  and  devils.  Nervous  and  mental  diseases, 
which  otherwise  would  have  appeared  simply  in  the  form 
of  convulsions,  periodical  craziness,  and  the  like,  appeared 
in  connection  with  that  superstition  as  madness,  produced 
by  demoniacal  possession,  that  could  only  be  removed  by 
operating  on  the  delusion.  There  is  every  probability 
that,  as  to  the  cause  of  this  disease,  Jesus  shared  the  ideas 
of  his  age.  Hence,  on  account  of  its  frequently  yielding 
to  his  denunciation,  in  the  name  of  God,  he  considered 
this  fact  a  sign  of  the  Messianic  times,  though  he  laid 
the  less  stress  upon  the  fact  as  regarded  himself  and  his 
disciples,  because  he  saw  the  same  effect  produced  by 
others  whom,  in  this  respect,  he  placed  without  hesitation 
on  a  par  with  himself. 

In  cases  of  cure  of  this  kind  by  the  imagination,  it 
could  not  but  happen  sometimes  that,  with  the  excite- 
ment, the  imagined  relief  produced  by  it  also  passed 
away,  so  that  the  old  complaints  returned.  Jesus  himself 
speaks  of  such  relapses,  not  merely  with  reference  to  sick 
persons  who  had  been  cured  by  himself,  but  generally,  so 
that  we  may  be  sure  that  they  had  happened  in  his  own 
experience,  as  well  as  in  that  of  others.  As  regards  the 
re-possession,  he  explains  it  as  the  return  of  the  devil  that 


DIFFERENT  MIRACLES.  225 

had  been  driven  out,  with  a  fresh  accession  of  strength. 
We  infer  from  this,  that  he  looked  upon  the  cause  of 
these  complaints  as  a  supernatural  one,  and  his  power  of 
removing  them  as  by  no  means  absolute. 

Now  we  have  to  speak  of  quite  another  description  of 
miracles,  said  to  have  been  enacted  by  Jesus,  which 
involves  the  question,  whether  God's  laws  in  relation  to 
physical  nature  are  invariably  the  same.  The  affirma- 
tive is  at  this  day  so  well  established  by  science  and 
every  other  available  test,  that  to  argue  the  subject  is 
frivolous.  We  therefore  deem  it  impossible,  that  Jesus 
should  ever,  by  a  mere  blessing,  have  enormously  in- 
creased existing  means  of  nourishment.  It  is  impossible, 
that  he  could  have  changed  water  into  wine.  Nor  can 
he,  in  defiance  of  the  law  of  gravity,  have  walked  upon 
the  water  without  sinking.  He  cannot  have  recalled 
really  dead  men  to  life.  Narratives  of  this  kind  have 
their  existence  in  fable  only ;  never  in  fact.  The  gross 
ignorance  and  the  dark  superstition  of  the  people,  in 
Jesus'  time,  make  it  perfectly  intelligible  that  even  cures, 
effected  by  means  obviously  natural,  were  considered  as 
miracles. 

If  Jesus  could  cure  some  diseases  supernaturally  by 
the  mere  word  of  command,  why  not  all  ?  Why  resort 
to  manipulation,  and  the  applying  of  spittle  and  clay  to 
the  eyes  of  the  blind,  and  the  cleansing  with  water, 
according  to  Bible  narrative?  Here  is  evidently  a  judi- 
cious discrimination  between  complaints  which  may  be 
affected  purely  by  the  imagination,  and  those  in  which  it 
was  deemed  necessary  to  resort  to  material  appliances. 
Natural  means  were  evident,  while  credit  was  given  (for 
whatever  good  may  have  resulted)  to  supernatural  means. 
15 


226  ONE  RELIGION:  MANY  CREEDS. 

Again,  the  most  wonderful  and  startling  of  all  the  mira- 
cles said  to  have  been  performed  by  Jesus,  was  that  called 
the  raising  of  Lazarus.  If  this  ever  had  the  appearance  of 
being  performed,  it  is  certain  that  Lazarus  was  not  dead  ; 
and  the  presumption  is,  that  Jesus  knew  it.  This  is  to  be 
inferred  from  the  fact  that  he,  himself,  intimated  to  his  dis- 
ciples that  Lazarus  was  only  asleep.  Let  any  candid  reader 
examine  the  following  narrative  with  a  critical  eye,  and  see 
if  something  of  this  kind  of  collusion  cannot  be  detected  in 
it:  "Therefore  his  sisters  sent  unto  him,  saying,  Lord, 
behold  he  whom  thou  lovest  is  sick.  When  Jesus  heard 
that  he  said,  This  sickness  is  not  unto  death,  but  for  the 
glory  of  God,  that  the  Son  of  God  might  be  glorified 
thereby.  These  things  said  he ;  and  after  that  he  saith 
unto  them,  Our  friend  Lazarus  sleepeth ;  but  I  go  that  I 
may  awake  him  out  of  sleep.  Then  said  his  disciples, 
Lord,  if  he  sleep  he  shall  do  well.  Howbeit  Jesus  spake 
of  his  death ;  but  they  thought  that  he  had  spoken  of 
taking  of  rest  in  sleep.  Then  said  Jesus  unto  them  plainly, 
Lazarus  is  dead.  And  I  am  glad  for  your  sakes  that  I 
was  not  there,  to  the  intent  ye  may  believe ;  nevertheless 
let  us  go  unto  him.  Jesus  saith  unto  her,  Said  I  not  unto 
thee,  that  if  thou  wouldst  believe  thou  shouldst  see  the 
glory  of  God  ?  Then  they  took  away  the  stone  from  the 
place  where  the  dead  was  laid.  And  Jesus  lifted  up  his 
eyes  and  said,  Father  I  thank  thee  that  thou  hast  heard 
me.  And  I  knew  that  thou  hearest  me  always ;  but 
because  of  the  people  which  stand  by,  I  said  it,  that  they 
may  believe  that  thou  hast  sent  me.  And  when  he  thus 
had  spoken,  he  cried  with  a  loud  voice,  Lazarus,  come 
forth.  And  he  that  was  dead  came  forth,  bound  hand 
and  foot,  with  grave  clothes  ;  and  his  face  was  bound  about 
with  a  napkin.  Jesus  saith  unto  them,  Loose  him  and  let 


JEWISH  TESTS  OF  THE  MESSIAHSHIP.         227 

him  go.  Then  many  of  the  Jews  which  came  to  Mary, 
and  had  seen  the  things  which  Jesus  did,  believed  on 
him." 

According  to  the  testimony  of  the  Apostle  Paul,  it  was 
a  national  peculiarity  of  the  Jews  to  desire  signs  from  a 
man  in  whose  doctrine  they  were  asked  to  believe.  Moses 
was  supposed  to  have  spoken  to  the  people,  before  the 
suppression  of  the  rebellious  adherents  of  Korah. — Num- 
bers, xvi.  28, — "  Hereby  ye  shall  know  that  the  Lord 
hath  sent  me  to  do  all  these  works  ;  for  I  have  not  done 
them  of  mine  own  mind."  "The  Jews,"  St.  Paul 
remarks,  "require  a  sign,  and  the  Greeks  seek  after  wis- 
dom."— 1  Corinthians,  22. 

As  the  national  legend  of  the  Hebrews  had  attributed 
to  Moses,  one  of  the  most  eminent  prophets,  a  series  of 
such  miracles  as  might  then  be  read  in  the  books  held 
sacred  by  them,  it  was  natural  that  miracles  should,  in 
like  manner,  be  expected  of  every  one  who  claimed  to  be 
a  prophet  or  the  Messiah,  and  that  a  Teacher  should  not 
be  held  in  full  estimation  by  the  people  if  he  were  without 
this  proof  of  having  received  credentials  from  above. 
Accordingly,  it  is  quite  certain,  as  we  read  in  the  Gospels, 
that  en  more  than  one  occasion,  when  Jesus  put  forward 
pretensions  which  none  but  a  Prophet  could  put  forward, 
he  was  met  by  the  demand  for  an  accrediting  sign. 
"Master,"  said  they,  as  we  read  in  the  Gospel  of  Mat- 
thew, "  we  would  see  a  sign  from  thee."  On  two  other 
occasions,  likewise,  they  accosted  him  with  the  expres- 
sions of  a  wish  of  this  kind,  and  for  what  they  define 
more  accurately  as  a  sign  from  heaven, — Matthew,  xvi.  1  ; 
Mark,  viii.  2.  But  Jesus  refused  to  comply  with  their 
demands.  Up  to  this  time,  his  pretension  went  no  further 
than  that  he  was  a  teacher  sent  from  God.  He  relied 


228  ONE  RELIGION:  MANY  CREEDS. 

upon  the  excellence  of  the  doctrine  that  he  taught,  as  an 
evidence  that  he  was  sent ;  and  this  he  declared.  He, 
therefore,  returned  a  summary  answer  to  the  demand  for 
a  sign.  No  sign  whatever,  said  he,  shall  be  given  to 
this  evil  and  adulterous  generation.  By  the  term  "  gen- 
eration," we  understand  him  to  mean  his  contemporaries 
generally,  whose  want  of  susceptibility  and  whose  per- 
versity in  the  case  of  the  Pharisees  and  Scribes,  came 
under  his  observation  in'  a  particularly  glaring  manner. 
It  was  not  until  later,  and  probably  after  he  had  con- 
ceived the  idea  that  he  was  the  promised  Messiah,  that 
he  saw  the  policy  of  yielding — as  he  did — to  the  impor- 
tunities for  a  sign.  The  answer  that  Jesus  gave  to  the 
messengers  of  the  Baptist,  who  were  sent  to  him  in  con- 
sequence of  a  series  of  miracles  which  he  was  then  per- 
forming, and  to  which  he  appealed  as  a  proof  of  his  Mes- 
sianic commission,  appears  to  stand  in  direct  contradiction 
to  his  refusal  to  perform  signs  and  wonders.  When  John 
the  Baptist  sent  to  ask  Jesus  whether  he  was  the  promised 
Messiah,  or  whether  they  were  to  look  for  another,  John 
must  have  been  in  doubt,  whether  those  miracles — similar 
ones  to  which  had  been  performed  by  the  Prophets  in  the 
Old  Testament — did  also,  on  this  occasion,  announce  only 
a  Prophet,  or,  lastly,  and  once  for  all,  the  Messiah.  The 
sequel  has  shown  that  Jesus  was  not  the  expected  Mes- 
siah, inasmuch  as  he  never  occupied  the  throne  of  David. 
But,  however  Jesus  might  disclaim  the  performance  of 
material  miracles,  it  was  supposed,  according  to  the  mode 
of  thought  of  the  period,  and  of  his  contemporaries,  that 
miracles  he  must  perform  whether  he  would  or  not.  As 
soon  as  he  was  considered  a  Prophet — Luke,  vii.  16 — and 
we  cannot  doubt  that  he  might  attain  this  character  as 
well  as  the  Baptist,  even  without  the  performance  of 


JEWISH  TESTS  OF  THE  MESSIAHSHIP.         229 

miracles — miraculous  powers  were  attributed  to  him,  they 
came  of  course  into  operation.  From  that  time,  wherever 
he  showed  himself,  sufferers  regularly  crowded  upon  him 
in  order  only  to  touch  his  garments,  because  they  expected 
to  be  cured  by  doing  so. — Matthew,  xiv.  36 ;  Mark,  iii. 
10,  vi.  56;  Luke,  vi.  19.  And  it  would  have  been  strange 
indeed,  if  there  had  been  no  cases  among  all  these,  in 
which  the  force  of  excited  imagination,  or  impressions 
half  spiritual  and  half  sensuous,  produced  either  actual 
removal  or  temporary  mitigation  of  disease.  Such  effect 
was  ascribed  to  the  miraculous  powers  of  Jesus. 

But,  besides,  and  beyond  these  signs  as  a  test  of  the 
truth  of  the  mission  of  a  prophet,  there  were  other  means 
by  which  the  Jews  examined  his  claims,  and  particularly 
the  claims  of  one  aspiring  to  the  Messiahship.  Their 
conceptions  of  the  Messiah,  though  different  in  different 
persons,  agreed  nevertheless  in  this — that  the  Messiah, 
after  the  opening  of  his  kingdom,  would  continue  to  reign 
over  his  followers  for  a  period  far  exceeding  the  natural 
duration  of  human  life.  According  to  Luke,  his  dominion 
was,  absolutely,  to  have  no  end :  "  He  shall  be  great,  and 
shall  be  called  the  Son  of  the  Highest :  and  the  Lord 
God  shall  give  unto  him  the  throne  of  his  father  David : 
And  he  shall  reign  over  the  house  of  Jacob  forever ;  and 
of  his  kingdom  there  shall  be  no  end." — Luke,  i.  32,  33. 

This  idea  we  find  borrowed  from  the  prophets  David, 
Isaiah,  Daniel,  and  others,  where  the  duration  of  his 
reign  is  said  to  be  a  thousand  years,  as  in  Revelations, 
xx.  4.  If  he  died  at  last,  this  death  was  to  happen  to 
all  life  on  earth,  for  the  purpose  of  bringing  about  a 
change  into  the  super-terrestrial  state.  But  in  no  case 
could  he  die,  until  he  had  finished  his  work  and  executed 
all  that  was  expected  of  him.  In  no  case  could  he  be 


230  ONE  RELIGION:  MANY  CREEDS. 

cut  off,  as  a  condemned  criminal,  submitting  to  superior 
power. 

Now  both  these  contingencies  had  occurred  to  Jesus. 
His  ministry,  as  the  pretended  Messiah,  was  broken  off; 
and  it  was  broken  off  by  the  violence  practised  against 
him  by  the  Jews,  even  before  it  had  fully  begun.  The 
case,  then,  immediately  after  the  decease  of  Jesus, 
between  the  Jews  of  the  ancient  faith,  and  his  adherents, 
stood  as  follows.  The  former  said,  "  Your  Jesus  cannot 
have  been  the  Messiah,  because  the  Messiah  is  to  continue 
forever.  He  was  not  to  die  until  after  a  long  period  of 
dominion  as  the  Messiah,  at  the  same  time  enjoying 
earthly  life  as  all  others.  But  your  Jesus  has  died  before 
the  time  by  a  disgraceful  death,  without  having  done  any- 
thing expected  of  the  Messiah."  On  the  other  hand,  the 
latter  said,  "As  Jesus,  our  Messiah,  died  so  early,  the 
prophecies,  which  promise  to  the  Messiah  that  he  shall 
endure  forever,  can  only  have  meant  that  his  death 
should  not  subject  his  soul  to  a  continuance  in  hell,  nor 
his  body  to  corruption." — Psalm,  xvi.  10;  Acts,  ii.  21; 
but  that  he  should  migrate  into  a  higher  life  with  God, 
from  whence  he  will  return  to  earth  at  his  own  time,  in 
order  to  bring  to  a  conclusion  his  work  that  was  inter- 
rupted through  your  guilt."  Now  which  interpretation  is 
the  most  credible  and  probable  ?  Let  us  look  further. 

All  the  prophecies,  that  can,  with  any  consistency,  be 
construed  to  have  any  relation  to  the  office  of  Jesus'  Mes- 
siahship,  point  to  his  sitting  on  the  throne  of  David  in 
the  capacity  of  an  earthly  king,  and  thence  redeeming 
the  Jews  from  personal,  and,  perhaps,  incidentally  from 
some  degree  of  spiritual  and  mental  bondage. — Isaiah,  ix. 
6,7. 


THE  THRONE  OF  DAVID.  231 

That  the  Jews,  at  the  time  of  Jesus'  ministry  among 
th?m,  so  understood  it,  will  be  seen  by  the  following  cita- 
tion :  "  There  came  wise  men  from  the  east  to  Jerusalem, 
saying,  Where  is  he  that  is  born  King  of  the  Jews  ?  for 
we  have  seen  his  star  in  the  east,  and  are  come  to  worship 
him.  *  *  *  And  when  he — Herod — had  gathered  all 
the  chief  priests  and  scribes  of  the  people  together,  he 
demanded  of  them  where  Christ  should  be  born.  And 
they  said  unto  him,  In  Bethlehem  of  Judea,  for  thus  it  is 
written  by  the  prophet :  And  thou  Bethlehem,  in  the  land 
of  Juda,  art  not  the  least  among  the  princes  of  Juda ;  for 
out  of  thee  shall  come  a  Governor  that  shall  rule  my 
people  Israel." — Matthew,  ii.  1,  2,  3,  5,  6.  This  is  fur- 
ther evinced  by  the  inscription  which  Pilate  caused  to  be 
put  on  the  cross  upon  which  Jesus  was  crucified,  to  wit : 
"  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  The  King  of  the  Jews,"  and  to  which 
the  Jews  objected,  saying,  "  Write  not  The  King  of  the 
Jews,  but  that  he  said,  I  am  King  of  the  Jews." — John, 
xix.  21.  He  was  accused  then  by  the  Jews,  of  claiming 
to  be  their  king;  and  it  is  evident  that  the  accusation 
was  a  just  one. 

Indeed,  even  after  his  death,  it  was  still  the  belief  of 
the  Apostles  that  he  was  a  Prince  and  a  Saviour,  and  that 
he  was  raised  up  to  sit  on  the  throne  of  David.  In  the 
first  sermon  that  Peter  preached  (which  was  on  the  day 
of  Pentecost,)  he  addressed  himself  thus  to  the  assembled 
multitudes  that  surrounded  him  :  "  Men  and  brethren  let 
me  freely  speak  unto  you  of  the  patriarch  David,  that  he 
is  both  dead  and  buried,  and  his  sepulchre  is  with  us  unto 
this  day.  Therefore,  being  a  prophet,  and  knowing  that 
God  had  sworn  with  an  oath  to  him,  that  of  the  fruit  of 
his  loins,  according  to  the  flesh,  he  would  raise  up  Christ 
to  sit  on  his  throne,"  &c. — Acts,  ii.  20.  And  when  this 


232  ONE  RELIGION :  MANY  CREEDS. 

same  Apostle,  and  some  others  of  bis  brethren  bad  been 
arrested  for  preaching,  in  his  name,  after  the  alleged  resur- 
rection and  ascension  of  Jesus,  Peter  in  bis  defence 
remarked,  "  Him  hath  God  exalted  with  his  right  hand 
to  be  a  Prince  and  a  Saviour,  for  to  give  repentance  to 
Israel,  and  forgiveness  of  sins." — Acts,  v.  31. 

This  proves  that  they  still  adhered  to  the  idea  that  his 
mission  was  to  save  the  Israelites  from  bondage,  through 
the  medium  of  his  being  their  Prince  ;  and  from  their 
sins,  by  preaching  repentance  to  them.  But,  was  the  son 
of  Mary,  the  wife  of  Joseph,  who  was  called  Christ,  sent 
to  sit  upon  the  throne  of  David  ? 

This  was  the  question  that  was  fairly  presented  to  the 
Jews,  both  by  Jesus  and  his  disciples  before  his  death, 
and  by  his  Apostles  after  his  death  ;  and  it  is  quite  cer- 
tain that  it  took  a  political  phase,  and  was  canvassed,  on 
the  side  of  the  Apostles,  with  equal  skill  and  ardor,  as 
are  such  questions  now.  The  point  at  issue  was,  belief 
or  non-belief,  as  to  whether  Jesus  as  the  appointed  of 
God,  was  to  occupy  the  throne  of  David.  Human  nature 
and  political  intriguing  having  the  same  sway  over  men's 
minds  then  as  at  present,  it  is  not  improbable  that  all 
things,  which  were  promised  to  those  that  believed,  were 
so  promised  in  order  to  swell  up  a  majority,  so  that  Jesus 
might  be  declared  a  King  by  acclamation,  and  the  leaders 
in  that  doctrine  be  thus  enabled  to  divide  the  spoils.  By 
the  flatteries  of  his  immediate  followers,  and  of  those  who 
espoused  his  cause,  he  was  made  to  believe  without  doubt 
that  he  was  the  person  selected  by  God  to  serve  in  the 
capacity  here  indicated  ;  and  hence,  in  view  of  his  princely 
honors  and  the  high  source  of  his  appointment,  he  allowed 
others  to  call  him,  and  called  himself,  "  Christ,"  "  Lord," 


JESUS'  PROGRESSIVE  IDEAS.  233 

and  "  the  Son  of  God,"  as  was  the  manner  of  the  Jews, 
in  relation  to  persons  who  were  held  in  high  estimation. 

This  was  his  attitude,  and  these  were  his  claims,  when 
the  question  was  being  agitated,  by  the  people,  as  to  his 
title  to  the  Jewish  throne.  They  were  instilled  and  fos- 
tered within  him.  by  the  fanaticism  of  his  followers,  who 
repeatedly  proclaimed  with  shouts  and  acclamations,  that 
he  was  the  promised  Messiah. — The  King  whom  the  Jews 
expected  to  reign  over  them. — Mark,  xi.  9.  We  read  in 
St.  Matthew's  Gospel  that  the  multitudes  that  went 
before  and  that  followed,  cried,  saying,  "  Hosanna  to  the 
Son  of  David,  Blessed  is  he  that  cometh  in  the  name  of 
the  Lord,  Hosanna  in  the  Highest."  And  again,  in  St. 
John,  "  that  when  he  perceived  that  they  would  come, 
and  take  him  by  force,  and  make  him  a  King,  he 
departed  again  into  a  mountain  himself  alone."  This  he 
did,  probably,  because,  by  his  far-sightedness,  he  saw  that 
the  time  had  not  yet  come  for  him  to  assert  his  right  to 
the  position.  There  being,  at  that  moment,  no  general 
movement  of  the  populace  to  support  him  in  his  claim. 

When  Jesus  had  completely  given  up  his  association 
with  Judaism  he  was  filled  with  revolutionary  ardor. 
The  innocent  aphorisms  of  the  first  part  of  his  prophetic 
career,  in  part  borrowed  from  the  Jewish  rabbis  anterior 
to  him,  and  the  beautiful  moral  precepts  of  his  second 
period,  are  exchanged  for  a  decided  policy.  The  Messiah 
had  come  ;  and  he  was  the  Messiah.  The  Kingdom  of 
God  was  about  to  be  revealed ;  and  it  was  he  who  would 
reveal  it.  It  was  by  crises  and  commotions  that  it  was 
to  be  established.  "  From  the  days  of  John  the  Bap- 
tist," saith  he,  "until  now,  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven  suf- 
fereth  violence,  and  the  violent  take  it  by  force ;"  (Mat- 
thew, xi.  12  ;)  and  again,  "The  law  and  the  prophets 


234  ONE  RELIGION :  MANY  CREEDS. 

were  until  John  ;  since  that  time   the  Kincrdom  of  God 

O 

is  preached,  and  every  man  presseth  into  it." — John, 
xvi.  16. 

He  had  previously  contented  himself  with  quietly 
teaching  the  doctrines  of  purity  and  truth.  Now  he  pre- 
sented a  different  attitude  before  the  world.  He  was 
above,  and  beyond,  a  mere  simple  teacher  of  morality. 
He  was  a  prophet,  and  more  than  a  prophet,  and  to  be 
obeyed.  A  kingdom  was  to  be  established  by  him. 

In  his  paroxysm  of  heroic  will,  he  believed  himself  all 
powerful.  If  the  earth  would  not  submit  to  this  supreme 
transformation,  it  must  be  broken  up,  purified  by  fire, 
and  by  the  breath  of  God.  A  new  heaven  and  a  new 
earth  would  be  created,  and  instead  of  men  it  would  be 
peopled  with  the  angels  of  God. 

A  radical  revolution,  embracing  even  nature  itself,  was 
now  the  fundamental  idea  of  Jesus.  But  much  darkness 
mixed  itself  with  even  his  most  correct  views.  Some- 
times strange  temptations  crossed  his  mind.  In  the 
desert  of  Judea,  Satan  had  offered  him  the  kingdoms  of 
the  earth.  Not  knowing  the  power  of  the  Roman 
Empire,  he  might,  with  the  enthusiasm  there  was  in  the 
heart  of  Judea,  which  ended  soon  after  in  so  terrible  an 
outbreak,  hope  to  establish  a  kingdom  by  the  number 
and  the  daring  of  his  partisans.  Many  times,  perhaps, 
the  supreme  question,  presented  kself — will  the  kingdom 
of  God  be  realized  by  force  or  gentleness,  by  revolt  or  by 
patience?  Much  vagueness  no  doubt  tinged  his  ideas. 
Our  principles  of  positive  science  are  offended  by  certain 
of  the  dreams  contained  in  the  programme  of  Jesus. 

There  was  a  contradiction  between  belief  in  the  ap- 
proaching end  of  the  world,  and  the  general  moral  system 
which  he  advocated  in  prospect  of  a  permanent  state  of 


HE  BECOMES  IMPERIOUS.  235 

humanity.  He  prepared  his  disciples  •  for  treating  the 
civil  powers  with  contempt  by  not  deigning  to  make  any 
defence  when  brought  before  them.  He  wished  to  anni- 
hilate riches  and  power ;  and  it  was  his  dream  to  effect  a 
great  social  revolution,  in  which  rank  would  be  over- 
turned, and  where  all  authority  in  this  world  would  be 
humiliated  except  his  own,  he  fancying  himself  destined 
to  have  supreme  rule. 

He  gradually  became  more  and  more  imperious.  At 
about  thirty  years  of  age,  he  made  the  proclamation  of 
his  Messiahship,  and  the  affirmation  of  the  coming  catas- 
trophe in  which  he  was  to  figure  as  judge,  clothed  with 
the  full  powers  which  had  been  delegated  to  him  by  the 
Ancient  of  days.  "The  Father,"  said  he,  "judgeth  no 
man,  but  hath  committed  all  judgment  unto  the  Son," — 
John,  v.  22;  evidently  imagining  that  he,  to  whom  the 
title  of  the  Son  was  given,  would  be  appointed  to  judge 
his  fellow-creatures.  His  family  were  strongly  opposed 
to  him,  and  plainly  refused  to  believe  in  his  mission  or 
pretensions.  The  Nazarenes,  much  more  violent,  wished, 
it  is  said,  to  kill  him  by  throwing  him  from  a  steep  rock: 
"And  all  they  in  the  synagogue,  when  they  heard  these 
things  were  filled  with  wrath,  and  rose  up,  and  thrust 
him  out  of  the  city  and  lead  him  unto  the  brow  of  the 
hill  whereon  their  city  was  built,  that  they  might  cast 
him  down  headlong." — Luke,  iv.  28,  29. 

If  Jesus  conceived  that  he  was  the  Messiah,  and 
referred  the  prophecy  in  Daniel  to-  the  Messiah,  and 
expected  in  accordance  with  it,  to  come  with  the  clouds 
of  heaven  in  .his  own  person,  as  proclaimed  by  him,  he 
not  only  appears  to  us  in  the  light  of  a  fanatic,  but  we 
see  also  an  unallowable  self-exaltation  in  a  man's  (and  it 
is  only  of  a  human  being  that  we  are  everywhere  speak- 


236  ONE  RELIGION:  MANY  CREEDS. 

ing)  so  putting  himself  above  every  one  else,  as  to  con- 
trast himself  with  them  as  their  future  judge.  And,  in 
doing  so,  Jesus  must  have  completely  forgotten  how  he 
had  on  one  occasion  disclaimed  the  epithet  of  good,  as  one 
belonging  to  God  alone. 

The  title  of  "Son  of  David"  was  the  first  which  he 
accepted,  probably  without  being  concerned  in  the  inno- 
cent frauds  by  which  it  was  sought  to  secure  it  to  him. 
The  universal  belief  was,  that  the  Messiah  would  be  son 
of  David,  and  like  him  would  be  born  at  Bethlehem. 
The  first  idea  of  Jesus  was  perhaps  not  precisely  this. 
But  public  opinion  on  this  point  made  him  do  violence  to 
himself.  The  immediate  consequence  of  the  proposition, 
"Jesus  is  the  Messiah,"  was  this  other  proposition,  "Jesus 
is  the  son  of  David."  He  allowed  a  title  to  be  given 
him,  without  which  he  could  not  hope  for  success.  In 
this,  as  in  many  other  circumstances  of  his  life,  Jesus 
yielded  to  the  ideas  which  were  current  in  his  time, 
although  they  were  not  precisely  his  own.  He  associated 
with  his  doctrine  of  the  "kingdom  of  God"  all  that  could 
warm  the  heart  and  the  imagination.  It  was  thus  that 
we  have  seen  him  adopt  the  baptism  of  John,  although 
it  could  not  have  been  of  much  importance  to  him.  "The 
woman  saith  unto  him,  I  know  that  Messias  cometh, 
which  is  called  Christ,  when  he  is  come,  he  will  tell  us 
all  things.  Jesus  saith  unto  her,  I  that  speak  unto  thee 
am  he." — John,  iv.  25,  26.  It  is  evident  that  Jesus 
made  no  such  announcement  in  relation  to  himself  during 
the  early  part  of  his  ministry.  The  remark  of  the  woman, 
and  his  reply,  is  proof  that  no  such  idea  was  then  current. 
And  this  is  corroborated  by  John  while  imprisoned, 
sending  to  inquire  of  Jesus  whether  he  laid  claim  to 
being  the  expected  Messiah.  Now  if  the  character  and 


OBJECT  OF  CHRIST  AND  APOSTLES.  237 

mission  of  Jesus  was  what  the  theologians  claim,  it  is 
incomprehensible  why  his  course  and  conduct  in  each  and 
every  part,  and  as  a  whole,  should  not  have  been  more  in 
conformity  with  our  conception  of  a  fair  representation  of 
normal  man  and  a  perfect  God  than  was  the  case.  Jesus 
was  probably  led  to  imagine  that  he  was  the  expected 
Messiah  by  the  homage  done  to  him  by  his  admirers,  and 
those  who  deceived  themselves  about  him.  This  idea, 
however,  he  abandoned  as  far  as  he  himself  was  con- 
cerned ;  and  he  must  have  felt,  (and  felt  most  bitterly  at 
the  last,)  that  he  had  been  deceiving  himself  as  to  his 
true  position,  otherwise  he  would  not  have  exclaimed  as 
he  did,  "  My  God,  my  God,  why  hast  thou  forsaken  me?" 
Mark,  xv.  34. 

This  one  acknowledgment,  of  his  subordination  to  God, 
made  so  exactly  after  the  manner  of  an  ordinary  man 
disappointed  in  his  aim  and  unexpectedly  brought  to  the 
last  struggle  of  life,  should  set  at  rest,  as  we  conceive, 
the  assumption  that  he  was  either  the  predicted  Messiah 
or  co-equal  with  God.  When  he  answered  the  woman  as 
he  did,  it  is  probable  that  he  thought  himself  to  be  what 
he  said  he  was.  He  thought,  likewise,  no  doubt,  that 
by  gaining  the  confidence  and  credence  of  the  people  in 
him  as  the  Christ,  it  would  favor  his  ascension  to  the 
throne,  as  the  King  of  the  Jews.  The  great  desideratum 
with  him  and  with  his  Apostles  was,  to  induce  the  people 
to  believe  that  the  person,  then  among  them,  was  the 
Christ,  was  the  identical  person  to  whom  the  Prophets 
pointed  as  destined  to  rule  as  King  over  the*  Jews  per- 
petually, upon  earth.  A  majority  of  such  believers  being 
obtained,  the  road  was  plain  and  the  way  sure,  to  the 
aggrandizement  of  both  him  and  themselves.  And  so 
confident  were  they  in  their  expectations  of  success,  that 


238  ONE  RELIGION:   MANY  CREEDS. 

politician-like,  they  began  to  squabble  and  to  importune 
him,  in  advance,  for  the  honors  and  spoils  that  would  fall 
to  the  lot  of  each,  when  he  should  have  attained  to  the 
throne.  That  this  squabbling  for  place  had  relation  to 
temporal  affairs — matters  pertaining  to  this  life — and  not 
to  those  beyond  the  grave,  is  shown  by  the  Gospel  itself. 
St.  Luke  says,  (ix.  46,)  "Then  there  arose  a  reasoning 
among  them,  which  of  them  should  be  greatest;"  and 
again,  xxii.  24  to  29, — And  there  was  also  a  strife 
among  them  which  of  them  should  be  accounted  the 
greatest.  And  he  said  unto  them,  The  kings  of  the  Gen- 
tiles exercise  lordship  over  them ;  and  they  that  exercise 
authority  upon  them  are  called  benefactors.  But  ye  shall 
not  be  so;  but  he  that  is  greatest  among  you,  let  him  be 
as  the  younger ;  and  he  that  is  chief,  as  he  that  doth 
serve.  For  whether  is  greater,  he  that  sitteth  at  meat,  or 
he  that  serveth  ?  is  not  he  that  sitteth  at  meat  ?  but  I 
am  among  you  as  he  that  serveth  ?  Ye  are  they  which 
have  continued  with  me  in  my  temptations.  And  I 
appoint  unto  you  a  kingdom,  as  my  Father  hath  appointed 
unto  me.  That  ye  may  eat  and  drink  at  my  table,  in 
my  kingdom,  and  sit  on  thrones,  judging  the  twelve  tribes 
of  Israel."  Now,  no  one  will  deny,  we  presume,  that 
this  has  reference  to  temporal  affairs,  and  that  it  was  so 
understood  by  those  to  whom  it  was  spoken.  If  so,  it 
evidently  accounts  for  the  Apostles  being  stimulated  to 
use  every  available  device  for  the  purpose  of  making  and 
retaining  believers  ;  and  it  is  corroborated  by  the  kind  of 
teaching  or  belief  which  Jesus  was  so  solicitous  to  incul- 
cate in  relation  to  himself,  as  shown  by  reference  also 
to  Gospel  authority.  St.  Matthew,  xxii.  41,  42,  says: 
"  While  the  Pharisees  were  gathered  together,  Jesus 
asked  them,  saying,  What  think  ye  of  Christ?  whose  son 


OBJECT  OF  CHRIST  AND  APOSTLES.  239 

is  lie?  They  say  unto  him,  The  son  of  David."  Again, 
"And  Jesus  answered  and  said,  while  he  taught  in  the 
temple,  How  say  the  scribes  that  Christ  is  the  son  of 
David." — Mark,  xii.  35.  His  motive  in  asking  these 
questions  is  unmistakable,  and  shews  how  anxious  he  was 
to  have  his  lineal  descent  traced  from  the  house  of  David, 
and  consequently  his  title  to  the  throne  of  the  Jews  estab- 
lished, arid  believed  in,  and  publicly  proclaimed.  Hence 
his  declaration:  "Whosoever  therefore  shall  confess  me 
before  men,  him  will  I  confess  also  before  my  Father 
which  is  in  heaven.  But  whosoever  shall  deny  me  before 
men,  him  will  I  also  deny  before  my  Father  which  is  in 
heaven." — Matthew,  x.  32,  33. 

The  importance  of  confession  before  men  is  manifest ; 
and  especially  in  such  a  case  as  this,  where  Jesus  was  to 
be  proclaimed  as  King.  It  is  not  at  all  an  uncommon 
thing  for  men  of  influence  to  declare,  and  commit  them- 
selves in  favor  of  a  certain  political  tenet,  or  on  the  side 
of  an  individual  who  is  an  aspirant  for  a  high  position  in 
the  government  of  a  country  ;  and  it  is  often  the  case, 
that  the  public  announcement  of  such  a  course  gives  6clat 
and  impetus  to  the  cause  or  party  interest  which  is  being 
pushed  forward.  A  large  portion  in  all  communities,  who 
do  not  take  the  trouble  to  think  for  themselves,  is  con- 
tinually, heedlessly,  and  thoughtlessly  following  the  lead 
of  prominent  men. 

Viewed  in  this  light,  the  public  avowal  of  Jesus  had  a 
two-fold  advantage,  first,  of  binding  the  new  disciples 
more  firmly  to  the  new  faith,  and  secondly,  of  increasing 
the  popularity  of  the  pretender.  But  when  viewed  in 
relation  to  religious  matters,  one  cannot  avoid  calling  to 
mind  that  precept  which  condemns  such  a  course,  and 
which  teaches  us  to  be  more  modest  and  retiring.  "He 


240  ONE  RELIGION:  MANY  CREEDS. 

that  exalteth  himself  shall  be  abased ;  but  he  that  hurn- 
bleth  himself  shall  be  exalted."  This  will  occur  to  us 
more  strongly,  when  Jesus'  avowal  is  viewed  in  relation  to 
the  ostentation  of  the  Pharisees,  who  sounded  a  trumpet 
before  them  in  the  synagogues  and  in  the  streets,  that 
they  might  be  seen  and  heard  of  men,  as  Jesus  himself 
had  noted  and  condemned. 

All  conceivable  good  was  promised  for  simply  believing 
in  Jesus'  divine  right  to  the  throne  of  his  ancestors,  and 
the  public  committal  to  such  espousal  of  Jesus'  preten- 
sions, by  baptism.  The  Apostles,  like  the  politicians  of 
our  day,  had  learned  from  experience,  that  one  party  is 
constantly  winning  back  some  portion  of  the  converts 
which  the  other  had  made ;  hence,  the  policy  of  sealing 
the  new  faith  with  a  public  pledge  and  formal  act. 

This  temporal  or  worldly  interest,  it  is  evident,  was  the 
great  and  only  object  that  led  and  stimulated  Jesus,  and 
his  disciples,  to  encourage  such  zeal  in  the  belief  and 
pledge  in  question.  In  all  such  efforts  to  propagate  the 
interests  of  their  Master,  the  conduct  of  the  Apostles,  was 
true  to  the  instincts  of  the  most  adroit  politicians — fully 
up  to  the  best  party  manoeuvring  of  our  day — and  lacks 
nothing  in  the  adaptation  of  the  means  to  the  ends,  pro- 
vided double-dealing  and  false  pretenses  are  conceded  to 
be  admissible  in  such  matters.  But,  when  men  teach 
that  all,  who  do  not  believe  that  Jesus  was  the  person  to 
whom  the  prophets  had  reference  in  their  predictions, 
when  they  assigned  a  king  to  the  Jews,  will  be  con- 
demned by  God  to  everlasting  torment,  they  teach  what 
is  opposed  to  every  rational  and  just  view  that  can  be 
taken  on  the  subject ;  and,  as  it  has  never  been  pro- 
pounded to  nor  heard  of  by  one  in  a  thousand  of  the  men 
born  into  the  world,  it  is  impossible  that  anything,  which 


PRIESTHOOD  NATURALLY  INCENSED.          241 

places  God  so  directly  at  variance  with  even  man's  sense 
of  justice,  can  be  true. 

Whe.n  Jesus  undertook  to  teach  natural  religion,  which 
is  love  to  God  and  good  will  towards  men  manifested  by 
good  works,  he  struck  at  the  root  and  influence  of  the 
whole  system  of  the  Jewish  religion  and  priesthood.  In 
speaking  of  God  as  the  Father  of  all  mankind,  he  incurred 
their  displeasure,  and  raised  their  ire  beyond  measure  ; 
because  they  claimed  that  they  alone  were  the  children  of 
God.  When  he  denounced  their  ceremonials,  their  sacri- 
fices, their  pride,  and  their  self-righteousness,  he  brought 
upon  l)imself  a  storm  of  persecution  and  abuse  which,  at 
last,  instigated  them  to  murder  him.  That  he  disap- 
proved of,  and  highly  condemned  their  whole  ceremonial 
law  and  teaching,  as  works  of  supererogation  and  hypo- 
crisy, the  following  denunciations  against  them,  proves : 
"  If  ye  had  known  what  this  meaneth,  I  will  have  mercy 
and  not  sacrifice,  ye  would  not  have  condemned  the  guilt- 
less " — Matthew,  xii.  7  ;  "For,  laying  aside  the  command- 
ment of  God,  ye  bold  the  tradition  of  men  as  the  washing 
of  pots  and  of  cups  ;  and  many  other  such  like  things  ye 
do" — Mark,  vii.  8;  "Ye  reject  the  commandment  of 
God  that  ye  may  keep  your  own  tradition  " — Matthew, 
vii.  9 ;  "  And  when  thou  prayest,  thou  shalt  not  be  as  the 
hypocrites  are  ;  for  they  love  to  pray  standing  in  the 
synagogues,  and  in  the  corners  of  the  streets,  that  they 
may  be  seen  of  men  " — Matthew,  vi.  5 ;  "They  think 
that  they  shall  be  heard  for  their  much  speaking  " — Mat- 
thew, iii.  7  ;  "  Your  Father  knoweth  what  things  ye  have 
need  of  before  ye  ask  Him  " — Matthew,  vi.  8. 

Now,  what  could  have  been  better  calculated  to  raise 
against  Jesus  the  fierce  indignation  of  the  priests,  than 
such  an  unmitigated  condemnation  of  the  very  things 
16 


242  ONE  RELIGION:  MANY  CREEDS. 

they  most  trusted  in,  and  from  which  they  derived  their 
great  power  and  influence.  The  religion  which  he  taught, 
and  which  harmonizes  so  beautifully  with  the  true  instincts 
of  natural  religion,  could  not  but  become  popular  with  the 
common  people,  and  to  such  an  extent,  that  the  priesthood 
were  alarmed  'lest  they  should  lose  their  long  enjoyed 
ascendency.  The  result  was,  that  they  could  *not  rest 
satisfied  until  they  had  succeeded  in  having  Jesus 
arraigned  before  the  Roman  authorities,  on  the  double 
charge  of  laying  claim  to  be  King  of  the  Jews,  and  blas- 
phemy ;  "  But  the  Jews  cried  out,  saying,  If  thou  let 
this  man  go  thou  art  not  Coesar's  friend :  whosoever 
maketh  himself  a  king  speaketh  against  Caesar." — John, 
xix.  12;  "Then  the  high  priest  rent  his  clothes  and 
saith,  What  need  we  any  further  witnesses?  Ye  have 
heard  the  blasphemy." — Mark,  xiv.  63,  64.  The  plan 
adopted  by  his  enemies  was  to  convict  him  by  the  testi- 
mony of  witnesses ;  and,  by  his  own  avowal  of  blas- 
phemy and  outrage  against  the  Mosaic  religion,  to  con- 
demn him  to  death  according  to  their  law;  and  then 
to  get  their  verdict  sanctioned  by  Pilate,  the  Roman  Gov- 
ernor. The  fatal  sentence  which  Jesus  had  really  uttered : 
"  I  am  able  to  destroy  the  temple  of  God,  and  to  build  it 
in  three  days,"  was  cited  by  two  witnesses.  To  blas- 
pheme the  temple  of  God  was,  according  to  the  Jewish 
law,  to  blaspheme  God  Himself.  "And  whoso  shall 
swear  by  the  altar  sweareth  by  it,  and  by  all  things 
thereon.  And  he  that  sweareth  by  the  temple,  sweareth 
by  it,  and  by  him  that  dwelleth  therein."— Matthew,  xxiii. 
21,  22.  Now,  these  crimes  were  punished  by  the  law 
with  death  ;  "  And  thou  shalt  speak  unto  the  children  of 
Israel,  saying,  Whosoever  curseth  his  God  shall  bear  his 
sin.  And  he  that  blasphemeth  the  name  of  the  Lord,  he 


CHRISTIAN  SACRIFICE  ABSURD.  243 

shall  surely  be  put  to  death." — Leviticus,  xxiv.  15,  16. 
Accordingly,  with  one  voice,  the  assembly  declared  him 
guilty  of  a  capital  crime,  which  decision  being  confirmed 
by  Pilate,  his  execution  took  place.  His  conviction  and 
death,  under  the  foregoing  circumstances,  it  is  well  known, 
were  brought  about  at  the  instigation  and  by  the  hatred 
of  the  priesthood,  in  consequence  of  his  espousal  and  per- 
sistent teaching  of  the  religion  of  the  heart  and  conscience. 
He,  it  was,  we  all  know,  who  was  the  great  champion 
and  defender  of  the  simple  doctrines  of  love  to  God  and 
love  to  man,  apart  from  the  sacrifices  and  ceremonies  of 
the  Jewish  ritual.  This,  as  we  have  said,  greatly  incensed 
the  priests,  because  it  brought  into  disrepute  their  whole 
system.  It  diminished  the  influence  which  they  had 
gained  through  their  ceremonies  and  sacrifices,  and  made 
them  (themselves)  unpopular.  And,  having  crucified  him 
under  these,  false  pretenses,  by  this  act,  they  caused  him 
to  become  a  thousand  fold  more  potent  to  do  the  very 
thing  they  sought  to  get  rid  of  by  procuring  his  death. 
This  admirable  trait  in  human  character — the  enthusiastic 
espousal  of  the  cause,  and  the  yielding  of  our  sympathies 
on  the  side  of  the  oppressed  and  ill-used — so  increased 
his  popularity,  that  the  views  which  he  took  of  religion, 
and  his  power  of  discrimination  between  the  good,  the 
false,  and  the  true,  only  served  the  more  to  increase  the 
popularity  of  natural  religion.  At  the  same  time  it  is  to 
be  observed  that  all  this  occurred  in  the  midst  of  the  Jews, 
whose  natural  leanings  and  old  habits  induced  them,  in 
course  of  time,  to  graft  upon  the  purer  doctrines,  that 
Jesus  taught,  a  portion  of  their  own  rites  and  ceremonies. 
Among  these,  sacrifice  was  pre-eminent.  But  what  was 
worse  still,  they  took,  as  the  basis  of  their  creed  and 
worship,  the  sacrifice  of  the  death  of  him,  to  whom  such 


244  ONE  RELIGION  :  MANY  CREEDS. 

a  creed  and  worship  were  so  obnoxious  as  to  merit  and 
receive  his  most  unsparing  and  untiring  opposition.  And 
in  this  connection  it  is  important  to  bear  in  mind,  that 
Jesus  himself  said  not  a  word  to  justify  this  interpretation 
of  his  death.  On  the  contrary,  he  said  everything  that 
he  could  against  the  principle  of  Judaism,  on  which  it  all 
rests.  His  course  in  this  respect  is  most  significant;  and 
if  candidly  considered,  from  a  common  sense  point  of 
view,  will,  as  we  conceive,  leave  this  fundamental  doc- 
trine of  the  Christian  Church  without  a  rational  founda- 
tion to  rely  on.  There  is  not  the  faintest  allusion  in  any 
of  Jesus'  discourses  or  parables,  to  his  being  a  sacrifice 
for  sin,  or  to  God's  requiring  any  blood  to  be  shed  before 
he  would  forgive  sinners.  With  this  indisputable  fact 
before  us,  it  is  incomprehensible,  how  they,  who  now 
teach  this  doctrine,  can  justify  themselves  in  allowing  this 
Jewish  excrescence  to  be  grafted  upon  the  religion  origi- 
nally taught  by  Jesus.  We  can,  to  some  extent,  excuse 
the  Jews  for  carrying  with  them  the  doctrines  to  which 
they  had  been  accustomed  for  ages,  but  for  others,  who 
look  with  aversion  upon  the  Jewish  sacrifices,  even  of 
animal  life,  there  can  be  no  excuse.  The  result  is,  that  a 
leading  doctrine  of  Christian  theology  has  come  down  to 
us  from  that  very  class  of  men,  who  hated  and  stoned 
Jesus  and  put  him  to  death.  This  is  not  only  a  different 
mode  of  worship  from  that  which  he  taught,  but  it  is  at 
direct  variance  with  it. 

The  Churches  teach  that  Jesus  came  to  abolish  the  old 
Jewish  law  and  its  ceremonies,  and  especially  that  part  of 
the  law  which  relates  to  sacrifices ;  and  that,  as  a  substi- 
tute, therefore,  he  offered  the  shedding  of  his  own  blood 
upon  the  cross  as  an  atonement  for  the  sins  of  the  people. 


JESUS  REPUDIATES  SACRIFICE.  245 

Now,  this  teaching  Jesus  himself  contradicts.  He  says 
he  came  to  bear  witness  to  the  truth  of  the  moral  law,  and 
to  call  sinners  to  repentance.  When  he  is  asked  what  is 
necessary  to  be  done  that  we  may  inherit  eternal  life,  he 
gives  full  and  explicit  directions,  comprised  in  what  we 
term  the  commandments.  In  them  we  do  not  find  that 
sacrifice  of  himself,  or  of  anything  else,  is  mentioned. 

When  he  is  asked  the  question  referred  to,  he  does  not 
seem  to  have  entertained  the  idea  that  he  was  the  pre- 
dicted Messiah.  Neither  did  he  imagine  that  he  was  to 

O 

be  made  a  substitute  for  ths  sacrifices  of  the  Jewish  reli- 
gion. Hence,  he  had  nothing  whatever  to  say  about  sal- 
vation through  his  atonement. 

The  young  man,  who  enquires  of  Jesus  as  to  the  condi- 
tions of  entering  into  eternal  life,  is  told  to  keep  the  com- 
mandments. He  says  he  has  done  so,  from  his  youth  up. 
He  is  then  told  that,  on  account  of  this,  he  is  not  far  from 
the  Kingdom  of  Heaven.  But  the  reason,  assigned  for 
his  not  absolutely  attaining  thereunto  is  that  he  does  not 
exercise  charity.  He  is  allowed,  therefore,  to  go  away 
with  the  impression,  that  if  he  can  only  do  this  he  is 
safe  ;  and  yet  we  are  told  by  the  theology  of  the  times, 
that  there  was  something  else  necessary  to  which  Jesus 
did  not  make  the  remotest  allusion. 

Now,  all  this  is  irreconcilable  and  at  variance  with 
God's  indisputable  justice  and  goodness.  It  is  impossible 
to  conceive  that  God  should  punish  any  one  of  His  crea- 
tures everlastingly,  for  not  believing  that,  which  they 
never  had  the  slightest  intimation  that  it  was  any  part  of 
their  duty  to  God  or  man  to  believe.  We  defy  any  one 
to  find  one  single  passage  in  the  whole  New  Testament, 
wherein  Jesus  declares  it  necessary,  or  wherein  he  even 
solicits  belief  in  himself  as  a  sacrifice.  He  calls  upon  men, 


246  ONE  RELIGION  :  MANY  CREEDS. 

we  admit,  to  believe  in  him,  as  being  the  predicted  Mes- 
siah and  as  a  true  teacher  ;  but  never  as  a  true  Saviour  of 
the  souls  of  men  beyond  the  grave,  by  any  other  means 
than  the  saving  efficacy  of  the  doctrine  which  he  taught. 
In  order  to  shew  still  more  convincingly  that  Jesus  did 
not  teach  that  anything  else  was  necessary  for  salvation 
than  good  works,  and  that  no  such  thing  as  sacrifices, 
either  of  slain  beasts  or  of  himself,  was  in  any  way 
required,  we  now  refer  to  the  occasion  when  we  were 
taught  upon  what  principle  we  shall  all  be  judged.  Jesus 
there  imagines  himself  to  be  the  arbiter,  who  is  to  decide 
between  men  and  their  God ;  and,  in  so  doing,  assimilates 
men  under  two  conditions  to  a  promiscuous  flock  of  sheep 
and  goats.  As  a  shepherd,  says  he,  divideth  his  sheep 
from  the  goats  so  will  he  divide  the  good  from  the  bad ; 
and  he  will  set  the  sheep — those  who  represent  the  good — 
on  the  right-hand,  but  the  goats — the  bad — on  his  left. 
"Then,"  he  continues,  "shall  the  King  say  to  those  on 
his  right-hand,  Come  ye  blessed  of  my  Father,  inherit 
the  kingdom  prepared  for  you  from  the  foundation  of  the 
world.  For  I  was  a  hungered,  and  ye  gave  me  meat :  I 
was  a  stranger  and  ye  took  me  in :  Naked  and  ye  clothed 
me :  I  was  sick  and  ye  visited  me  :  I  was  in  prison  and 
ye  came  unto  me.  Then  shall  the  righteous  answer  him, 
saying,  Lord,  when  saw  we  thee  a  hungered  and  fed  thee  ? 
or  thirsty  and  gave  thee  drink  ?  When  saw  we  thee  a 
stranger  and  took  thee  in  ?  Or  when  saw  we  thee  sick, 
or  in  prison  and  came  unto  thee  ?  And  the  King  shall 
answer  and  say  unto  them,  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  Inas- 
much as  ye  have  done  it  unto  one  of  the  least  of  these 
my  brethren,  ye  have  done  it  unto  me."  He  then  goes 
on  to  address,  in  their  own  proper  character,  those  on  His 
left  in  a  correspondingly  diverse  manner. 


THE  OLD  TESTAMENT  ON  SACRIFICE.         947 

What  then  are  Ae  conditions  here  laid  down,  as  those 
upon  which  men  are  to  be  acquitted  or  condemned,  by 
the  most  solemn  tribunal  sitting  upon  men's  actions  that 
could  be  pictured  to  the  imagination  ?  Are  they,  whether 
a  man  believed  in  thjs  dogma,  or  that  dogma?  Whether 
the  Jew  attended  to  the  strict  observance  of  the  sacrifices 
and  ceremonies  of  his  religion,  or  not?  Whether  the 
Christian  believed  in  the  sacrifice  of  Christ  or  not? 
Whether  the  Mahommedan  believed  in  Mahommed  or 
not  ?  The  Hindoo  in  Juggernaut  ?  or  the  Chinese  in 
Confucius  ?  Nothing  of  the  kind.  Belief  in  no  man  is 
required.  Faith  in  no  system  is  expected.  The  offering 
of  no  sacrifice  is  looked  for.  What  is  requisite  is  simply 
this,  doing  unto  others  as  we  would  they  should  do  unto 
us.  Love  to  God,  and  love  to  man,  manifested  by  our 
works  of  charity  and  goodness,  an  amplifying,  so  to  say, 
of  Jesus'  final  exhortation  to  the  rich  man  already  men- 
tioned. 

But  the  Bible  furnishes  other  evidence  tending  to  the 
same  conclusions.  The  Old  Testament  is  so  full  of  the 
condemnation  of  sacrifices  and  other  superstitions  from 
the  pens  of  prophets  and  others  that  only  a  limited  num- 
ber of  examples  can  be  selected  for  these  pages.  What 
said  Samuel  to  King  Saul,  after  the  latter  had  returned 
from  the  slaughter  of  the  Amalekites,  and  brought  with 
him  the  best  of  the  sheep  and  the  oxen  for  sacrificial  pur- 
poses, contrary  to  the  instructions  which  he  had  received 
to  slay  all  and  spare  none,  neither  man  nor  woman,  infant 
nor  suckling,  ox  nor  sheep,  camel  nor  ass?  "Hath  the 
Lord  as  great  delight  in  burnt  offerings  and  sacrifices,  as 
in  obeying  the  voice  of  the  Lord?  Behold,  to  obey  is 
better  than  sacrifice,  and  to  hearken  than  the  fat  of 
rams." — 1  Samuel,  xv.  22.  What  saith  the  Psalmist? 


248  ONE  RELIGION:  MANY  CREEDS. 

"Sacrifice  and  offering  tbou  didst  not*desire;  mine  ears 
bast  thou  opened ;  burnt  offering  and  sin-offering  hast 
tbou  not  required." — Psalm,  xl.  6.  And  again,  "  For 
thou  desirest  not  sacrifice ;  else  would  I  give  it  tbee : 
tbou  deligbtest  not  in  burnt  offering." — Psalm,  li.  16. 
What  saitb  the  wise  man,  Solomon  ?  "  Keep  thy  foot 
when  tbou  goest  to  the  bouse  of  God,  and  be  more  ready 
to  hear  than  to  offer  the  sacrifice  of  fools." — Ecclesiastes, 
v.  1.  What  say  the  prophets  Isaiah,  Jeremiah,  Hosea, 
and  Malacbi?  "To  what  purpose  is  the  multitude  of 
your  sacrifices  unto  me  ?  saith  the  Lord  :  I  am  full  of  the 
burnt  offerings  of  rams,  and  the  fat  of  fed  beasts :  and  I 
delight  not  in  the  blood  of  bullocks,  or  of  lambs,  or  of 
he-goats." — Isaiah,  i.  11.  "Bring  no  more  vain  obla- 
tions :  incense  is  an  abomination  unto  me  :  the  new  moons 
and  Sabbaths,  the  calling  of  assemblies,  I  cannot  away 
with  :  it  is  iniquity,  even  the  solemn  meeting." — Isaiah, 
i.  13.  "  To  what  purpose  cometh  there  to  me  incense 
from  Sheba,  and  the  sweet  cane  from  a  far  country?  your 
burnt  offerings  are  not  acceptable,  nor  your  sacrifices 
sweet  unto  me." — Jeremiah,  vi.  20.  "  They  sacrifice  flesh 
for  the  sacrifices  of  mine  offerings,  and  eat  it :  but  the 
Lord  accepteth  them  not ;  now  will  he  remember  their 
iniquity,  and  visit  their  sins." — Hosea,  viii.  13.  "The 
Lord  will  cut  off  the  man  that  doeth  this,  the  master  and 
the  scholar,  out  of  the  tabernacles  of  Jacob,  and  him  that 
offereth  an  offering  unto  the  Lord  of  hosts." — Malachi, 
ii.  12. 

Lastly,  we  cite  this  remarkable  passage  from  Hosea, 
vi.  6.  "  For  I  desired  mercy,  and  not  sacrifice  ;  and  the 
knowledge  of  God  more  than  burnt  offerings."  Twice 
did  Jesus  himself  make  distinct  reference  to  this  injunc- 
tion, and  emphasize  its  plain  language  by  application  to 


THE  NEW  TESTAMENT  ON  SACRIFICE.         249 

actual  circumstances.  When  the  Pharisees  reproached 
him  for  eating  with  publicans  and  sinners,  he  said,  "  Go 
ye  and  learn  what  that  meaneth,  I  will  have  mercy  and 
not  sacrifice."  When  they  reproached  his  disciples  for 
plucking  ears  of  corn  on  the  Sabbath  day,  he  told  them, 
"  If  ye  had  known  what  this  meaneth,  I  will  have  mercy 
and  not  sacrifice,  ye  would  not  have  condemned  the  guilt- 
less." 

And  Jesus'  adoption  of  Hosea's  very  language  leads  us 
on,  from  the  Old  Testament  to  the  New.  Nor  herein  is 
there  need  of  further  proof,  than  this  adoption  affords, 
that  Jesus  himself  attached  no  importance  to  sacrifices. 
As  to  ceremonies  this  is  the  estimate  that  he  set  upon 
them :  "  Woe  unto  you,  Scribes  and  Pharisees,  hypo- 
crites!  for  ye  pay  tithe  of  mint  and  anise  and  cummin, 
and  have  omitted  the  weightier  matters  of  the  law,  judg- 
ment, mercy  and  faith."  Nevertheless,  one  scribe  may 
be  excepted,  he  of  whom  St.  Matthew  relates  that  he 
approved  Jesus'  outspoken  doctrine,  to  the  effect  that 
true  religion  consisted  in  loving  God  with  all  the  soul, 
and  loving  man  as  one's  self.  This,  saith  the  scribe,  is 
more  than  whole  burnt-offerings  and  sacrifices.  And 
when  Jesus  saw  that  he  answered  discreetly,  he  said 
unto  him,  "  Thou  art  not  far  from  the  kingdom  of  God." — 
Mark,  xii.  34.  Surely  one  sentence  of  denunciation,  from 
him  who  is  considered  the  head  and  front  of  Christianity, 
ought  to  suffice  for  uprooting  a  system  based  essentially 
upon  the  very  principle  denounced  by  him.  Jesus  throws 
contempt  upon  sacrifice.  The  Christian  churches  exalt 
and  magnify  it  as  the  sine  qua  non  in  man's  salvation. 
Pay  no  heed  to  sacrifices,  says  Jesus.  His  churches  say, 
practically,  let  us  make  Christ  himself  part  and  parcel 
of  the  system  that  he  repudiates ! 


250  ONE  RELIGION:  MANY  CREEDS. 

Not  having  been  influenced  by  personal  contact  with 
Jesus,  St.  Paul — apart  from  his  frequent  reference  to  the 
comparative  merits  of  faith  and  good  works — appears 
never  to  have  freed  his  mind  from  a  certain  ideal  connec- 
tion between  sacrifice  and  salvation.  It  is  true,  he  warns 
the  Corinthians,  that  "  circumcision  is  nothing  and  uncir- 
cumcision  is  nothing,  but  the  keeping  of  the  command- 
ments of  God;"  and  that  he  tells  the  Hebrews,  that  "it 
is  not  possible  that  the  blood  of  bulls  and  of  goats  should 
take  away  sins."  But  he  tells  these  latter  also,  that 
"  without  blood  is  no  remission  ;"  nay,  he  goes  further 
still,  and  would  have  the  Hebrews  believe,  that  the  sacri- 
fice of  Christ  was  needed  on  Christ's  own  behalf!  So 
astounding  is  this  dogma,  that  it  seems  to  have  staggered 
the  Church  itself,  if  one  may  judge  by  the  eloquent 
silence  of  the  preachers  in  regard  to  it.  The  precise 
expression  runs  thus, — Hebrews,  ix.  12: — "Neither  by 
the  blood  of  goats  and  calves,  but  by  his  own  blood,  he 
entered  in  once  into  the  holy  place."  Furthermore,  the 
very  phraseology  used  by  Paul,  on  two  occasions,  shows 
how  this  sacrificial  notion  was  rooted  in  him.  He  exhorts 
the  Romans  "  to  present  their  bodies  a  living  sacrifice, 
holy,  and  acceptable  unto  God;"  and  the  Jews  to  "offer 
the  sacrifice  of  praise  to  God  continually." 

It  has  been  established  that  Jesus  nowhere  either 
taught,  or  gave  countenance,  in  any  way  to  the  worship 
of  sacrifices,  or  to  any  other  kind  of  worship,  except  that 
enjoined  by  natural  religion.  The  same  cannot  be  said, 
however,  with  regard  to  his  Apostles,  after  his  death.  It 
was  then,  that  they  began  to  foist  their  own  habitual 
traditions  upon  his  unincumbered  doctrine  and  thus  to 
make  worship  widely  different  from,  that  which  he  had 
advocated.  Nor  had  they  any  consistency  about  them. 


THE  NEW  TESTAMENT  ON  SACRIFICE.          251 

They  blew  hot  and  cold,  almost  in  the  same  breath. 
Sometimes  they  preached  one  thing  and  sometimes  another. 
Take  for  example,  that  most  inconsistent  man  of  all,  Peter, 
termed  by  one  branch  of  Christians,  the  infallible  founder 
of  their  Church,  and  in  whose  power  they  put  the  keys  to 
unlock  and  lock,  both  heaven  and  hell.  What  absurdities 
is  he  not  responsible  for.  Examine  the  first  sermon  which 
he  preached,  as  recorded  in  the  second  chapter  of  the  book 
of  Acts. 

This  was  an  important  occasion.  It  was  an  occasion 
when,  we  are  told,  men  from  almost  every  country  on 
the  face  of  the  earth  were  gathered  together  at  Jerusalem ; 
and  for  the  first,  and  perhaps  the  last  time,  heard  an  ex- 
position of  the  doctrine  of  salvation  from  the  mouth  of  one 
who  might  be  looked  upon  as  qualified  to  teach  it. 

But  what  does  Peter  say,  in  this  discourse,  about  either 
the  old  sacrifices  of  the  Levitical  priesthood,  or  the  sac- 
rifice of  Jesus  upon  the  cross?  Not  one  word.  He 
speaks  of  Jesus  as  a  man — a  man,  mark  you — a  man 
approved  of  God ;  as  having,  by  the  determinate  counsel 
of  God,  been  taken  and  crucified  and  slain;  as  having 
been  raised  from  the  dead  ;  as  having  ascended  to  heaven ; 
and  as  having  been  made  both  Lord  and  Christ.  But  he 
does  not  utter  a  single  syllable  about  Jesus  having  been 
made  a  sacrifice ;  still  less  does  he  insist,  as  the  Church 
does,  that  unless  we  believe  in  him  as  such,  we  cannot  be 
saved.  No.  Is  it  to  be  inferred  then,  that  those  persons 
present  from  every  nation  under  heaven,  were  to  compre- 
hend this  new  and  complicated  dogma  by  intuition,  and 
were  then  to  go  and  preach  or  tell  it  to  their  friends? 
Or  are  we  not  rather  in  a  more  sensible  and  natural 
manner,  to  say,  that  Peter  neither  intended,  nor  did  they 
understand  anything  of  the  kind  ?  The  latter  deduction 


252  ONE  RELIGION:   MANY  CREEDS. 

is  assuredly  the  first  one,  and  is  corroborated  by  Peter's 
continued  silence  on  this  point — when  he,  together  with 
the  other  Apostles,  was  asked  by  those  who  were  so  much 
concerned:  "Men  and  brethren,  what  shall  we  do?" 
His  reply  was :  "  Repent  and  be  baptized  every  one  of 
you,  in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ,  for  the  remission  of 
sins" — the  baptism  signifying  a  pledge  to  adhere  to  the 
teaching  of  Jesus  as  the  way  to  righteousness.  Again, 
not  one  word  was  said  about  Jesus  beino-  crucified  as  a 

o 

sacrifice  for  sin.  The  omission  is  the  more  striking  from 
the  fact  that  Peter  was  fresh  from  communication  with 
him.  That  he  subsequently  fell  back  into  his  old  ways 
is  on  record.  His  Master  was  not  with  him,  to  keep  him 
on  the  right  path.  He  had  been  slippery  in  his  dealings 
with  Jesus,  himself,  and  is  accused,  by  his  associate  Paul, 
of  having  played  fast  and  loose  in  the  matter  of  circum- 
cision, and  in  that  of  eating  with  the  Gentiles.  Be  this 
as  it  may,  in  course  of  time,  they  all  conspired  to  make 
Jesus  a  substitute  for  those  sacrifices  with -which  they 
were  so  fully  imbued,  that  they  could  not  cease  to  cling  to 
them ;  although  they  found  that  those  of  the  Jewish  order 
were  too  gross  and  too  much  opposed  to  his  own  teachings 
to  be  intermingled  with  his  more  refined  teaching.  When 
we  say  all,  we  should  probably  except  St.  James.  It  is 
to  be  noted  that,  in  the  five  chapters  of  his  general 
Epistle,  he  does  not  once  allude  to  the  sacrifice  of  Jesus, 
and  very  sparingly  to  Jesus  himself,  save  when  he  declares 
that  "  the  corning  of  the  Lord  draweth  nigh."  In  one 
memorable  verse  also,  he  gives  his  views  of  "  pure  religion 
and  undefined  before  God  and  the  Father,"  which  consists 
in  comforting  the  afflicted,  and  leading  a  pure  life — not  in 
believing  that  man  is  saved  only  by  the  death  of  Christ. 
In  another  verse,  he  says  concisely,  "  Thou  belie  vest  that 


CHRIST  DENOUNCES  SACRIFICE.  253 

there  is  one  God ;  thou  doest  well," — not  two  Gods,  or 
three. 

The  Church  argues  an  analogy  between  the  sacrifice  of 
Christ  on  the  cross,  under  what  it  calls  the  new  dispensa- 
tion, and  animal  sacrifice,  as  practised  under  the  old. 
Now  it  is  shown  elsewhere,  from  the  Old  Testament,  that 
the  whole  system  of  sacrifice  was  rather  tolerated  than 
approved  by  God.  At  the  same  time,  there  is  not  the 
slightest  evidence  that  Jesus  and  his  disciples  ever  parti-, 
cipated  in  the  sacrificial  services  of  the  Jewish  synagogue, 
though  they  frequented  it,  to  read,  or  to  teach,  or  to  pray 
therein.  This  we  say  is  remarkable,  and  adds  another 
proof  that  Jesus  and  his  Apostles,  at  all  events  during  his 
lifetime,  never  countenanced,  by  any  means  whatever, 
sacrifices  of  any  kind.  Indeed  we  are  told  that  he  took 
a  scourge  of  small  cords  and  drove  out  the  buyers  and 
sellers  of  the  things  that  were  used  in  the  Temple,  and  in 
this  way  shewed  his  displeasure  at  their  being  brought 
there  at  all,  for  any  such  purpose. 

We  submit  from  the  evidence  here  presented,  whether 
any  sober-minded  man  can  conscientiously,  and  without 
misgivings,  stand  by  a  system,  that  God  so  unsparingly 
denounced,  and  that  Jesus  himself  never  approved. 

With  a  view  of  discussing  this  question,  in  its  every 
phase,  we  proceed  further  to  confirm  what  has  hitherto 
been  said,  in  a  more  general  way.  Epiphanius  says  of 
the  Ebiontes — Heares,  xxx.  16 — that  in  their  pretended 
Gospel  of  Matthew  there  occurs  this  expression  of  Christ : 
"  I  am  come  to  do  away  with  sacrifices,  and  if  you  do  not 
cease  to  sacrifice,  the  anger  of  God  will  not  cease  from 
you." 

This  horror  of  bloody  sacrifices  the  Ebionites  had  in 
common  with  the  Esseues.  Jesus  had  a  conviction  that 


254  ONE  RELIGION :  MANY  CREEDS. 

reconciliation  with  God  was  only  attainable  by  purely 
inward  means.  And  hence  his  displeasure  at  the  gross 
materialism  of  the  sacrificial  service. 

Thus  did  Jesus,  not  only  by  words,  "  have  mercy  and 
not  sacrifice " — Matthew,  xii.  7 — but  by  his  example, 
condemn  the  whole  system.  And  yet  how  remarkable  it 
is  that  this  very  system  was  at  length  engrafted  upon  the 
pure  natural  religion  which  he  advocated ! 

Renan  says,  one  idea,  at  least,  which  Jesus  brought 
from  Jerusalem,  and  which  henceforth  appears  rooted  in 
his  mind,  was  that  there  was  no  union  possible  between 
him  and  the  ancient  Jewish  religion.  The  abolition  of 
the  sacrifices  which  had  caused  him  so  much  disgust,  the 
suppression  of  an  impious  and  haughty  priesthood,  and, 
in  a  general  sense,  the  abrogation  of  the  law,  appeared  to 
him  absolutely  necessary.  From  this  time  he  appears  no 
more  as  a  Jewish  reformer,  but  as  a  destroyer  of  Judaism. 
Certain  advocates  of  Messianic  ideas  had  already  admitted 
that  the  Messiah  would  bring  a  new  law,  which  should  be 
common  to  all  the  earth.  The  Essenes,  who  were  scarcely 
Jews,  also  appear  to  have  been  indifferent  to  the  temple 
and  to  the  Mosaic  observances.  But  these  were  only  iso- 
lated or  unavowed  instances  of  boldness.  Jesus  was  the 
first  who  dared  to  say  that  from,  the  time  of  John,  the 
Law  was  abolished  :  "  The  law  and  the  prophets  were 
until  John :  since  that  time  the  Kingdom  of  God  is 
preached,  and  every  man  presseth  into  it." — Luke,  xvi. 
16.  That  is  to  say,  independent  of  any  sacrifice.  Now, 
the  Churches  claim  that  the  law  of  God  required  for  the 
remission  of  sins,  up  to  the  time  of  the  shedding  of  the 
blood  of  Christ,  the  sacrifices  enjoined  by  the  ceremonial 
law  ;  and  that  this  shedding  of  his  blood  was  accepted  by 
God  as  a  crowning  and  final  sacrifice  for  the  remission  of 


CHRIST  DENOUNCES  SACRIFICE.  255 

the  sins  of  all  who  believe  in  its  efficiency.  This  is  not 
in  accordance  with  Jesus'  declaration  that  the  law  pre- 
vailed not  after  John,  whose  death  took  place  before  that 
of  Jesus.  Consequently,  before  the  shedding  of  Jesus' 
blood  there  was  no  sacriHcial  law  in  existence,  and  there- 
fore it  could  not  have  been  substituted  for,  or  abrogated  by 
the  shedding  of  Jesus'  blood  as  they  claimed. 

When  Jesus  was  driven  to  extremities,  he  lifted  the 
veil  entirely,  and  declared  that  the  Law  had  no  longer 
any  force.  On  this  subject  he  used  striking  comparisons. 
"  No  man  putteth  a  piece  of  new  cloth  into  an  old  gar- 
ment, neither  do  men  put  new  wine  into  old  bottles." — 
Matthew,  ix.  16,  17  ;  Luke,  v.  36.  This  was  really  his 
chief  characteristic  as  a  teacher.  Jesus  was  no  longer  a 
Jew.  He  was  in  the  highest  degree  revolutionary  ;  he 
called  all  men  to  a  worship  founded  solely  on  the  fact  of 
their  being-  children  of  God.  He  advocated  the  religion 

CD  O 

of  humanity,  established,  not  upon  blood,  but  upon  the 
heart.  He  proclaimed  the  rights  of  man,  not  the  rights 
of  the  Jew ;  the  religion  of  man,  not  the  religion  of  the 
Jew ;  the  deliverance  of  man,  not  the  deliverance  of  the 
Jew. 

Following  out  these  principles,  Jesus  despised  all  reli- 
gion which  was  not  of  the  heart  and  conscience.  The 
vain  practices  of  the  devotees,  the  exterior  strictness 
which  trusted  to  formality  for  salvation,  had  in  him  a 
mortal  enemy.  The  love  of  God,  charity,  and  mutual 
forgiveness,  were  his  whole  law.  Nothing  could  be  less 
priestly.  The  priest,  by  his  office,  ever  advocates  public 
sacrifice,  of  which  he  is  the  appointed  minister.  We 
should  seek  in  vain  in  the  Gospel  for  one  religious  rite 
recommended  by  Jesus.  Those  who  imagined  they  could 
win  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven  by  saying  to  him,  "  Rabbi, 


256  ONE  RELIGION:  MANY  CREEDS. 

Rabbi,"   he  rebuked;  and  proclaimed  that  his   religion 
consisted  in  doing  good. 

Among  the  various  books,  or  so-called,  divine  records, 
which  are  claimed  to  be  supernaturally  inspired,  there  are 
none  so  obscure  as  the  Bible.  The  teachings  or  sayings, 
of  Jesus,  which  are  recorded  in  the  Bible,  are  mostly  in 
parables  or  riddles,  whose  meaning  is  so  vague  and  uncer- 
tain that  no  two  persons  would  be  likely  to  put  the  same 
construction  upon  any  one  of  them.  Jesus  adopted  and 
continued  this  course  of  teaching  to  the  perplexity  and 
astonishment  of  his  disciples,  notwithstanding  he  was 
constantly  importuned  for  his  reasons  for  so  doing.  In 
which  cases,  when  he  answered  at  all,  he  said  he  did  so, 
that  the  prophecies  might  be  fulfilled,  or  to  prevent  the 
wise  and  prudent  and  the  multitudes  generally,  from 
receiving  and  understanding  the  truth — his  teachings 
being  intended  only  for  his  disciples  and  babes.  This  is 
inconsistent  with  the  idea  of  Jesus  being  either  God, 
or  the  Saviour  of  men.  We  cannot  conceive  of  God's 
shaping  His  course,  professedly  and  especially,  to  suit  the 
vague  prophecies  of  men,  that  He  might  the  better  gain 
credence  to  His  being  God.  Besides,  such  a  course  is 
adverse,  by  its  obscurity,  to  the  Church's  version  of  the 
mission  of  Jesus,  which  teaches  that  he  came  to  give 
light,  and  thereby  everlasting  life  to  all  men.  He  who 
came  to  be  the  Saviour  of  all  men,  could  not,  surely, 
studiously,  hide  the  means  of  salvation  from  any.  The 
preceding  remarks  have  been  suggested  by  the  following 
Bible  quotations,  which  seem  to  us  to  be  entirely  at 
variance  with  the  idea,  that  Jesus  came  to  be  the  Saviour 
of  all  men. 

"And  the  disciples   came,  and  said   unto   him,    Why 
speakest  thou  unto  them  in  parables."     "He  answered 


OBSCURITY  OF  THE  BIBLE.  257 

and  said  unto  them,  Because  it  is  given  unto  you  to  know 
the  mysteries  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  but  to  them  it 
is   not  given."     "For  whosoever  hath,  to  him  shall  be 
given,  and  he  shall  have  more  abundance :  but  whosoever 
hath  not,  from  him  shall  be  taken  away  even  that  he 
hath.     Therefore  speak  I  to  them  in  parables :  because 
they  seeing,  see  not ;  and  hearing,  they  hear  not ;  neither 
do  they  understand."     "And  in  them  is  fulfilled  the  pro- 
phecy of  Esaias,  which  saith,  By  hearing  ye  shall  hear, 
and  shall  not  understand ;  and  seeing  ye  shall  see,  and 
shall  not  perceive :"    "All  these  things  spake  Jesus  unto 
the  multitude  in  parables ;  and  without  a  parable  spake 
he  not  unto  them:"    "That  it  might  be  fulfilled  which 
was  spoken  by  the  prophet,  saying,  I  will  utter  things 
which  have  been  kept  secret  from  the  foundation  of  the 
world."— Matthew,  xiii.   10,    11,    12,    13,    14,    34,   35. 
"  I  thank  thee,  0  Father,  Lord  of  Heaven  and  Earth, 
because  thou  hast  hid  these  things  from  the  wise  and 
prudent,  and  hast  revealed  them  unto  babes." — Matthew, 
xi.  25.     "And  when  he  was  alone,  they  that  were  about 
him  with  the  twelve  asked  of  him  the  parable."     "And 
he  said  unto  them,  Unto  you   it  is  given  to  know  the 
mystery  of  the  kingdom  of  God :  but  unto  them  that  are 
without,  all  these  things  are  done  in  parables."     "  That 
seeing  they  may  see,  and  not  perceive ;  and  hearing  they 
may  hear  and  not  understand,  lest  at  any  time  they  should 
be  converted,  and  their  sins  should  be  forgiven  them." — 
Mark,  iv.  10,  11,  12.     Such  is  the  Bible  version  of  the 
sayings  of  Jesus.    Their  import  is  totally  inconsistent  with 
his  pretended  divine  mission.     It  is  not  in  harmony  with 
Peter's  remark,    that   God   is    no    respecter  of   persons. 
Neither  does  it  accord  with  the  idea  that  God's  creatures 
are  all   alike  the  objects  of  His  care  and  goodness.     If 
17 


258  ONE  RELIGION :  MANY  CREEDS. 

Jesus  came,  as  a  messenger  from  God,  out  of  love  and 
kindness  to  mankind,  to  enable  all  to  obtain  eternal  life 
through  his  teaching,  then  it  would  seem,  according  to  the 
best  human  understanding,  that  all  his  teachings  should 
be  such  as  all  men  could  unmistakably  comprehend  and 
avail  themselves  of.  God's  teaching  is  heard  and  heeded 
throughout  the  universe.  To  this  premeditated  obscurity 
in  the  teachings  of  Jesus,  and  of  the  Bible  record  gene- 
rally, is  due  in  a  great  measure  the  number  and  variety 
of  sects,  and  the  difficulty  in  coming  at  anything  definite 
on  the  subject  of  religion  or  even  theology. 

It  is  well  to  notice  some  of  the  results  of  the  many  con- 
structions that  have  been  put  upon  the  Bible,  In  illus- 
trating its  various  readings  and  their  results,  we  quote 
from  sundry  authorities  mentioned  here  below.  The 
innumerable  sects  arid  parties  into  which  Christianity  is 
divided — each  laying  claim  to  exclusive  sanction  and 
authority  from  the  Bible — each  declaring  its  own  views 
right,  and  all  who  differ  from  it  wrong,  are  each  sup- 
ported by  Scripture  texts  of  the  most  plausible  aspect. 
"The  Trinitarian  denounces  the  Unitarian,  and  the  Uni- 
tarian the  Trinitarian  ;  and  both  unite  in  condemning  the 
Roman  Catholic  in  some  of  his  peculiar  doctrines.  The 
Armenian  denounces  the  Calvinist's  views,  as  a  system 
consisting  of  human  creatures  without  liberty, — doctrine 
without  sense, — faith  without  reason, — and  God  without 
mercy." — Archd.  Jortin.  The  Calvinist  on  the  other 
hand  represents  Armenianism  as  "delusive,  dangerous, 
and  ruinous  to  immortal  souls." — Close  s  Sermons.  And 
the  Unitarians  declare  them  both  to  be  "mischievous 
compounds  of  impiety  and  idolatry." — Disc,  on  Priestly. 
Archbishop  Magee,  on  the  other  hand,  denounces  the 
Unitarian  system  as  "embracing  the  most  daring  impie- 


SECTARIAN  RECRIMINATION  THE   RESULT.     259 

ties  that  ever  disgraced  the  name  of  Christianity ;  and 
declares  that  if  Unitarianism  be  well  founded,  Christianity 
must  be  an  imposition."  All  .sects  join  in  denouncing  the 
Methodists  "as  misled  fanatics,  alienated  from  all  know- 
ledge of  the  true  God." — Divine  Truth.  The  Church  of 

O 

England  denounces  the  whole  body  of  dissenters  "  as 
accursed,  devoted  to  the  devil,  and  separated  from 
Christ," — Canon,  v.  vii ;  and  the  Bishop  of  London — 
Letters  on  Dissent. — declares  them  "to  be  actuated  by 
the  devil,  with  the  curse  of  God  resting  heavily  on  them 
all."  "The  dissenters  are  not  slow  in  retaliating  on  the 
Church  of  England.  They  say  that  it  is  an  obstacle  to 
the  progress  of  truth  and  holiness  in  the  land,  that  it 
destroys  more  souls  than  it  saves,  and  that  its  end  is  most 
devoutly  to  be  wished  for  by  every  lover  of  God  and 
man." — Christian  Observer.  "The  Roman  Catholics 
declare  their  Church  to  be  '  the  only  true  one,'  while  all 
others  join  in  denouncing  them  as  the  'scarlet  whore  of 
Babylon,'  and  a  combination  of  idolatry,  blasphemy,  and 
devilism.'" — Guns.  Apostasy.  "The  Romanist  retorts 
again,  by  consigning  every  sect  and  description  of  reli- 
gionists to  eternal  damnation  as  heretics  and  schismatics, 
and  their  clergy  as  desecrating  thieves  and  ministers  of 
the  devil." — Rheims  Test. 

It  would  be  an  endless  task  to  enumerate  the  names 
and  tenets  of  the  various  sects  which  constitute  that 
"chaos  of  confusion"  denominated  "the  Christian  Church," 
all  derived  from  this  one  book,  the  Bible,  which  is  declared 
to  be  an  emanation  from  the  Almighty,  and  a  revelation 
of  His  will  to  all  men. 

From  the  rapid  advancement  of  civilization,  the  increase 
of  the  wealth  and  the  luxuries  of  life,  the  clergy  of  mod- 
ern times  have  found  it  necessary  to  make  further  changes 


260  ONE  RELIGION  :  MANY  CREEDS. 

and  modifications  in  the  religion  of  Jesus,  so  as  to  accom- 
modate it  to  their  own  views  and  the  peculiarities  of  the 
times.  His  name  is  still  .assumed  as  the  foundation  of 
their  religion  ;  but  little  attention  is  paid  either  to  His 
precepts  or  example.  In  reality,  only  the  shadow  of  the 
religion  taught  by  Jesus  now  remains. 

In  view  of  all  this,  can  the  reader  hesitate  to  acknow- 
ledge, that  a  religion  so  divided  against  itself  has  no 
claim,  either  to  be  the  true  religion,  or  of  divine  origin? 
Can  any  one  imagine  for  a  moment  how,  amidst  such  an 
infinite  mass  of  obscure  texts,  contradictory  opinions,  and 
glaring  discrepancies,  all  seriously  derived  from  the  pages 
of  this  book,  that  it  is  a  correct  and  useful  system  of  reli- 
gion ? 

Truth  belongs  to  all  times  and  to  all  men.  That  the 
truth  is  not  evident  in  Scripture  is  proved  by  the  innu- 
merable sects  into  which  Christianity  has  split ;  for  when 
truth  is  clear  and  evident  it  is  impossible  to  divide  people 
into  parties  or  factions.  What  would  be  the  true  religion, 
if  there  were  no  sects  ?  That  in  which  all  minds  must 
necessarily  agree.  Sectarianism  and  error  are  but  syn- 
onyms;  for  "the  word  of  God"  can  convey  but  one 
meaning.  We  would  only  ask  how  many  meanings  have 
the  Scriptures,  the  assumed  word  of  God,  conveyed — 
count  the  different  sects  ! 

People  in  all  ages,  from  the  inborn  delight  which  man 
derives  from  the  wonderful  and  mysterious,  have,  at  all 
times  and  in  all  places,- been  readily  persuaded  to  lend  their 
belief  to  the  supernatural  and  the  invisible.  Hence,  one 
great  cause  of  the  enormous  superstructure  in  the  Chris- 
tian religion,  of  prophecies  and  miracles,  of  dreams  and 
visions,  of  angels  and  devils,  and  other  supernatural  and 
invisible  agents,  which  have  been  worked  up  into  the  few 


JESUS  DI*D  NOT  CLAIM  DIVINITY.      261 

simple  and  truthful  precepts,  which  Jesus,  during  the 
early  part  of  his  public  career,  enforced  with  so  much  zeal 
and  eloquence. 

No  great  events  in  history  have  happened  without 
having  given  rise  to  a  cycle  of  fables.  At  a  certain  period 
in  his  career  Jesus  began  to  imagine  that  he  saw  in  him- 
self traits  of  character  corresponding  to  the  Messiah. 
Perhaps  a  sagacious  observer  might  have  recognized  from 
this  point  the  germ  of  the  narratives  which  were  to  attri- 
bute to  him  a  supernatural  birth,  and  which  arose,  it  may 
be,  from  the  idea,  very  prevalent  in  antiquity,  that  the 
incomparable  man  could  not  be  born  of  the  ordinary  rela- 
tions of  the  two  sexes,  or  in  order  to  respond  to  an  imper- 
fectly understood  chapter  of  Isaiah,  which  was  thought  to 
foretell  that  the  Messiah  should  be  born  of  a  virgin.  At 
times  they  connected  him,  from  his  birth,  with  celebrated 
men,  such  as  John  the  Baptist,  Herod  the  Great,  Chal- 
dean Astrologers,  who,  it  was  said,  visited  Jerusalem 
about  this  time,  and  two  aged  persons,  Simeon  and  Anna, 
who  had  left  memories  of  great  sanctity.  It  was,  espe- 
cially, after  the  death  of  Jesus  that  such  narratives 
became  greatly  developed.  That  he  never  dreamed  of 
making  himself  pass  for  an  incarnation  of  God,  is  a 
matter  about  which  there  can  be  no  doubt.  Such  an  idea 
was  entirely  foreign  to  the  Jewish  mind ;  and  there  is  no 
trace  of  it  in  the  Gospels.  Certain  passages,  expressly 
exclude  this  idea,  and  we  only  find  it  indicated  in  portions 
of  the  Gospel  of  John,  which  cannot  be  accepted  as 
expressing  the  thoughts  of  Jesus.  Sometimes  he  even 
seems  to  take  precautions  to  put  down  such  a  doctrine. 
The  accusation  that  he  made  himself  God,  or  the  equal 
of  God,  is  presented,  even  in  the  Gospel  of  John,  as  a 
calumny  of  the  Jews.  In  this  last  Gospel  he  declares 


262  ONE  RELIGION:   MANY  CREEDS. 

himself  to  be  less  than  his  Father. — John,  xiv.  28. 
Elsewhere  he  avows  that  the  Father  has  not  revealed 
everything  to  him.  He  is  Son  of  God,  but  so  are  all 
men.  He  calls  God  his  Father.  Every  one  should  feel 
that  God  is  more  than  a  father.  "  All  who  are  raised 
again  will  be  sons  of  God." — Luke,  xx.  36.  The  divine 
son-ship  was  attributed  in  the  Old  Testament  to  beings 
whom  it  was  by  no  means  pretended  were  equal  with 
God — Genesis,  vi.  2  ;  Job,  i.  6  ;  ii.  1  ;  xxviii,  7  ;  Psalm, 
ii.  7;  Ixxxii.  6;  2  Samuel,  vii.  14.  The  word  "son" 
has  the  widest  meaning  in  the  Semitic  language,  and  in 
that  of  the  New  Testament.  The  transcendent  idealism 
of  Jesus  never  permitted  him  to  have  a  very  clear  notion 
of  his  own  personality.  He  is  his  Father,  his  Father  is 
he.  He  lives  in  his  disciples :  he  is  everywhere  with 
them. — Matthew,  xviii.  20 ;  xxviii.  20.  His  disciples 
are  one,  as  he  and  his  Father  are  one. — John,  x.  30 ; 
xvii.  21.  In  general,  the  later  discourses  of  John,  espe- 
cially chapter  xvii.,  express  one  side  of  the  psychological 
state  of  Jesus,  though  we  cannot  regard  them  as  true  his- 
torical documents. 

No  idea  of  the  laws  of  nature  marked  the  limit  of  the 
impossible,  either  in  his  own  mind,  or  in  the  minds  of  his 
hearers.  The  witnesses  of  his  miracles  thanked  God  "  for 
having  given  such  power  unto  men." — Matthew,  ix.  8. 
He  pardoned  sins. — Matthew,  ix.  2.  He  was  superior  to 
David,  to  Abraham,  to  Solomon,  and  to  the  prophets. — 
Matthew,  xii.  41,  42;  xxii.  43.  We  do  not  know  in 
what  form,  nor  to  what  extent  these  affirmations  of  him- 
self, were  made.  Jesus  ought  not  to  be  judged  by  the  law 
of  our  petty  conventionalities.  The  admiration  of  his 
disciples  overwhelmed  him,  and  carried  him  away.  It  is 
evident  that  the  title  of  Rabbi,  with  which  he  was  at  first 


HIS  OPINION  OF  HIMSELF.  263 

contented,  no  longer  sufficed  him.  There  was  no  super- 
natural for  him,  because  there  was  no  nature.  Intoxi- 
cated with  infinite  love,  he  forgot  the  heavy  chain  which 
holds  the  spirit  captive ;  he  cleared  at  one  bound  the 
abyss,  which  the  weakness  of  the  human  faculties  has 
created  between  God  and  man.  The  belief  .that  certain 
men  are  incarnations  of  divine  faculties  or  "powers,"  was 
wide-spread.  For  nearly  two  centuries,  the  speculative 
minds  of  Judaism  had  yielded  to  the  tendency  to  personify 
the  divine  attributes,  and  certain  expressions  which  were 
connected  with  the  Divinity.  Thus,  "  the  breath  of  God," 
which  is  often  referred  to  in  the  Old  Testament,  is  consid- 
ered as  a  separate  being,  the  "  Holy  Spirit."  In  the 
same  manner  the  "Wisdom  of  God,"  and  the  "Word  of 
God  "  became  distinct  personages.  This  was  the  germ  of 
the  process  which  has  engendered  the  hypothesis  of  Chris- 
tianity, and  all  that  dry  mythology,  consisting  of  personi- 
fied abstractions,  to  which  resort  is  had  when  desiring  to 
pluralise  the  Deity. 

Jesus  appears  to  have  remained  a  stranger  to  these  refine- 
ments of  theology,  which  were  soon  to  fill  the  world  with 
barren  disputes.  It  was  John  the  Evangelist,  or  his 
school,  who  afterwards  endeavored  to  prove  that  Jesus 
was  the  Word,  and  who  created,  in  this  sense,  quite  a 
new  theology,  very  different  from  that  of  the  "  kingdom  of 
God."— See  John,  Gospel,  i.  1-14;  1  Epistle,  v.  7.  The 
essential  character  of  the  Word  was  that  of  Creator  and 
of  Providence.  Now,  Jesus  never  pretended  to  have 
created  the  world,  nor  to  govern  it.  His  office  was  to 
judge  it,  to  renovate  it.  The  position  of  president  at  the 
final  judgment  of  humanity,  was  the  essential  attribute 
which  'Jesus  attached  to  himself  and  the  character  which 
all  the  first  Christians  attributed  to  him. — Acts,  x.  42. 


264  ONE  RELIGION :  MANY  CREEDS. 

At  all  events,  the  strictness  of  a  studied  theology  Ly  no 
means  existed  in  such  a  state  of  society.  All  the  ideas 
we  have  just  stated,  formed  in  the  mind  of  the  disciples  a 
theological  system  so  little  settled,  that  the  Son  of  God, 
this  species  of  divine  duplicate,  is  made  to  act  purely  as 
man.  He  is  tempted — he  is  ignorant  of  many  things.  He 
corrects  himself.  Comp.  Matthew,  x.  5,  with  xxviii.  19. 
He  is  cast  down,  discouraged.  He  asks  his  Father  to 
spare  him  trials — He  is  submissive  to  God  as  a  son. — 
Matthew,  xxvi.  39.  "  He  who  is  to  judge  the  world  does 
not  know  the  day  of  judgment." — Mark,  xiii.  32.  He 
takes  precautions  for  his  safety. — Matthew,  xii.  14-16; 
xiv.  13.  Soon  after  his  birth  he  is  concealed  to  avoid 
powerful  men  who  wish  to  kill  him. — Matthew,  ii.  20. 
In  exorcisms,  the  devil  cheats  him,  and  does  not  come  out 
at  the  first  command. — Matthew,  xvii.  20 ;  Mark,  ix.  25. 
In  his  miracles  we  are  sensible  of  painful  effort,  through 
exhaustion,  as  if  something  went  out  of  him. — Luke,  viii. 
45,  46  ;  John,  xi.  33,  38.  The  need  Jesus  had  of  obtaining 
credence,  and  the  enthusiasm  of  his  disciples,  heaped  up 
contradictory  notions.  To  the  Messianic  believers  of  the 
millenarian  school,  and  to  the  enthusiastic  readers  of  the 
books  of  Daniel  and  Enoch,  he  was  the  Son  of  man  :  to 
the  Jews  holding  the  ordinary  faith,  and  to  the  readers  of 
Isaiah  and  Micah,  he  was  the  Son  of  David :  to  the  dis- 
ciples he  was  the  Son  of  God,  or  simply  the  Son.  Others, 
without  being  blamed  by  the  disciples,  took  him  for  John 
the  Baptist  risen  from  the  dead  ;  for  Elias  ;  for  Jeremiah, 
conformable  to  the  popular  belief  that  the  ancient  pro- 
phets were  about  to  re-appear,  in  order  to  prepare  the 
time  of  the  Messiah. — Matthew,  xiv.  2  ;  xvi.  14  ;  xvii.  3. 
Honesty  and  imposture  are  words  which,  in  our  rigid  con- 
sciences, are  opposed,  as  two  irreconcilable  terms.  In 


THE  MEANS  OF  PROOF.  265 

the  East,  they  are  connected  by  numberless  subtle  links 
and  windings.  The  authors  of  the  Apocryphal  books  of 
"Daniel"  and  of  "Enoch,"  for  instance,  men  highly 
exalted,  in  order  to  aid  their  cause,  committed,  without 
a  shadow  of  scruple,  an  act  which  we  should  term  a  fraud. 
Two  means  of  proof,  miracles  and  the  accomplishment  of 
prophecies,  could  alone,  in  the  opinion  of  the  contempora- 
ries of  Jesus,  establish  a  supernatural  mission.  Jesus, 
and  especially  his  disciples,  employed  these  two  processes 
of  demonstration,  where  Jesus  had  conceived  that  the 
prophets  had  written  only  in  reference  to  him.  He  recog- 
nized himself  in  their  sacred  oracles;  he  regarded  himself 
as  the  mirror  in"1  which  all  the  prophetic  spirit  of  Israel 
had  read  the  future.  In  many  cases,  these  comparisons 
were  quite  superficial,  and  are  scarcely  appreciable  by  us. 
They  were  most  frequently  fortuitous,  or  insignificant  cir- 
cumstances, in  the  life  of  Jesus,  which  recalled  to  the  dis- 
ciples certain  passages  of  the  Psalms  and  Prophets,  in 
which,  in  consequence  of  their  constant  pre-occupation, 
they  saw  images  in  him. — Matthew,  i.  23,  iv.  6,  14 ; 
xxvi.  31,  54,  56;  xxvii.  9,  35.  The  exegesis  of  the 
time  consisted  thus  almost  entirely  in  a  play  upon  words, 
and  in  quotations  made  in  an  artificial  and  arbitrary 
manner. 

As  to  miracles,  they  were  regarded  at  this  period  as  the 
indispensable  mark  of  the  divine,  and  as  the  sign  of  the 
prophetic  vocation.  The  legends  of  Elijah  and  Elisha 
were  full  of  them.  It  was  commonly  believed  that  the 
Messiah  would  perform  many. — John,  vii.  34 ;  Esdras, 
xiii.  50.  In  Samaria,  a  few  leagues  from  where  Jesus 
was,  a  magician,  named  Simon,  acquired  an  almost  divine 
character  by  his  illusions. — Acts,  viii.  9.  Jesus  was 
therefore  obliged  to  choose  between  these  two  alterna- 


266  ONE  RELIGION:  MANY  CREEDS. 

tives — either  to  renounce  his  mission,  or  to  become  a, 
miracle-worker.  It  must  be  remembered  that  all  anti- 
quity, with  the  exception  of  the  great  scientific  schools, 
and  their  Roman  disciples,  accepted  miracles ;  and  that 
Jesus  not  only  believed  therein,  but  had  not  the  least  idea 
of  an  order  of  nature  regulated  by  fixed  laws.  His  know- 
ledge on  this  point  was  in  no  way  superior  to  that  of  his 
contemporaries. 

The  lapse  of  time  has  changed  that  which  constituted 
the  power  upon  which  the  Christian  theology  is  founded, 
into  something  offensive  to  our  ideas.  Criticism  expe- 
riences no  embarrassment  in  the  presence  of  this  kind  of 
historical  phenomena. 

With  reference  to  our  argument  that  there  is  One  God, 
and  one  only,  we  next  invite  the  reader's  attention  to 
forty-three  selected  texts,  affirming  that  fact. 

1.  "  Thou  shalt  have  no  other  gods  before  me." — Exo- 
dus, xx.  3. 

2.  "  Unto   thee   it   was    shewed,   that   thou    mightest 
know  that  the  Lord  is  God ;  there  is  none  else  besides 
him." — Deuteronomy,  iv.  35. 

3.  "  Know  therefore  this  day,  and  consider  it  in  thine 
heart,  that  the  Lord  he  is  God  in  heaven  above,  and  upon 
the  earth  beneath :  there  is  none  else." — Deuteronomy, 
iv.  39. 

4.  "  Hear,  0  Israel :  the  Lord  our  God  is  one  Lord." — 
Deuteronomy,  vi.  4. 

5.  "See  now  that  I,  even  I,  am  he,  and  there  is  no  god 
with  me  :  I  kill,  and  I  make  alive  ;  I  wound,  and  I  heal ; 
neither  is  there  any  that  can  deliver  out  of  my  hand." — 
Deuteronomy,  xxxii.  39. 

6.  "  There  is  none  holy  as  the  Lord  ;  for  there  is  none 
besides  thee:  neither  is  there  any  rock  like  our  God." — 
1  Samuel,  ii.  2. 


TEXTS  IN  FAVOR  OF  ONE  GOD  ONLY.    267 

7.  "  Wherefore  thou  art  great,  0  Lord  God :  for  there 
is  none  like  thee,  neither  is  there  any  God  besides  thee, 
according  to  all  that  we  have  heard  with  our  ears." — 2 
Samuel,  vii.  22. 

8.  "For  who  is  God,  save  the  Lord?  and  who  is  a 
rock,  save  our  God"  ? — 2  Samuel,  xxii.  32. 

9.  "And  he  said,  Lord  God  of  Israel,  there  is  no  god 
like  thee  in   heaven  above ;    or  on    earth  beneath,  who 
keepest  covenant  and  mercy  with  thy  servants  that  walk 
before  thee  with  all  their  heart." — 1  Kings,  viii.  23. 

10.  "And  Hezekiah  prayed  before  the  Lord,  and  said, 
0  Lord  God  of  Israel,  which  dwellest  between  the  cheru- 
bims,  thou  art  the  God,  even  thou  alone,  of  all  the  king- 
doms of  the  earth;  thou  hast  made  heaven  and  earth." — 
2  Kings,  xix.  15. 

11.  "Now  therefore,  0  Lord  our  God,  I  beseech  thee, 
save  thou  us  out  of  his  hand,  that  all  the  kingdoms  of 
the  earth  may  know  that  thou  art  the  Lord  God,  even 
thou  only." — 2  Kings,  xix.  19. 

12.  "  Thou,  even  thou,  art  Lord  alone  :  thou  hast  made 
heaven,  the  heaven  of  heavens,  with   all  their  host,  the 
earth  and  all  things  that  are  therein,  the  seas  and  all  that 
is  therein  ;  and  thou  preservest  them  all ;  and  the  host  of 
heaven  worshippeth  thee." — Nehemiah,  ix.  6. 

13.  "  That   men    may  know  that   thou,  whose    name 
alone  is  Jehovah,  art  the  Most  High  over  all  the  earth." — 
Psalm,  Ixxxiii.  18. 

14.  "For  thou   art  great,  and  doest  wondrous  things: 
thou  art  God  alone." — Psalm,  Ixxxvi.  10. 

15.  "Behold,  God  is  my  salvation;  I  will  trust,  and 
will  not  be  afraid :  for  the  Lord  Jehovah  is  my  strength 
and  my  song;  he  also  is  become  my  salvation." — Isaiah, 
xii.  2. 


268  ONE  RELIGION:  MANY  CREEDS. 

16.  "0  Lord   of  hosts,   God  of  Israel,  that  dwellest 
between  the   cherubims,    thou    art  the    God,    even    thou 
alone,  of  all  the  kingdoms  of  the  earth ,  thou  hast  made 
heaven  and  earth." — Isaiah,  xxxvii.  16. 

17.  "Now,  therefore,  0  Lord  our  God,  save  us  from 
his  hand,  that  all  the  kingdoms  of  the  earth  may  know 
that  thou  art  the  Lord,  even  thou  only." — Isaiah,  xxxvii. 
20. 

18.  "I  am  the  Lord ;  that  is  my  name :  and  my  glory 
will  I  not  give  to  another,  neither  my  praise  to  graven 
images." — Isaiah,  xlii.  8. 

19.  "For  I  am  the  Lord  thy  God,  the  Holy  One  of 
Israel,  thy  Saviour ;  I  gave  Egypt  for  thy  ransom,  Ethi- 
opia and  Seba  for  thee." — Isaiah,  xliii.  3. 

20.  "I,  even  I,  am  the  Lord;  and  besides  me  there  is 
no  Saviour." — Isaiah,  xliii.  2. 

21.  "I  am  the  Lord,  and  there  is  none  else,  there  is  no 
God   besides  me  :  I  girded  thee,  though  thou  hast  not 
known  me." — Isaiah,  xlv.  5. 

22.  "  That  they  may  know  from  the  rising  of  the  sun, 
and  from  the  west,  that  there  is  none  besides  me  :  I  am 
the  Lord,  and  there  is  none  else." — Isaiah,  xlv.  6. 

23.  "Verily,  thou  art  a  God  that  hidest  thyself,  0  God 
of  Israel,  the  Saviour." — Isaiah,  xlv.  15. 

24.  "For  thus  saith  the  Lord  that  created  the  heavens, 
God  himself  that  formed  the  earth  and  made  it,  he  hath 
established  it,  he  created  it  not  in  vain,  he  formed  it  to 
be  inhabited  :  I  am  the  Lord,  and  there  is  none  else."— 
Isaiah,  xlv.  18. 

25.  "Tell  ye,  and  bring  them  near ;  yea,  let  them  take 
counsel  together :   who  hath    declared    this  from  ancient 
time  ?  who  hath  told  it  from  that  time  ?  have  not  I  the 
Lord?  and  there  is  no  God  else  besides  me;  a  just  God 


TEXTS  IN  FAVOR  OF  ONE  GOD  ONLY.    269 

and  a  Saviour:  there  is  none  besides  me." — Isaiah,  xlv. 
21. 

26.  "Look  unto  me,  and  be  ye  saved,  all  the  ends  of 
the  earth  ;  for  I  am  God  and  there  is  none  else." — Isaiah, 
xlv.  22. 

27.  "  Remember  the  former  things  of  old  :  for  I  am  God, 
and  there  is  none  else ;  I  am  God,  and  there  is  none  like 
me." — Isaiah,  xlvi.  9. 

28.  "  Thou  shalt  also  suck  the  milk  of  the  Gentiles, 
and  shalt  suck  the  breast  of  kimis:  and  thou  shalt  know 

O 

that  I  the   Lord  am  thy  Saviour  and  thy  Redeemer,  the 
Mighty  One  of  Jacob." — Isaiah,  lx.  16. 

29.  "I  will  not  execute  the  fierceness  of  mine  anger, 
I  will  not  return  to  destroy  Ephraim :  for  I  am  God  and 
not  man  ;  the  Holy  One  in  the  midst  of  thee ;  and  I  will 
not  enter  into  the  city." — Hosea,  xi.  9. 

30.  "Yet  I  am  the  Lord  thy  God  from  the  land  of 
Egypt,  and  thou  shalt  know  no  god  but  me :  for  there  is 
no  Saviour  besides  me." — Hosea,  xiii.  4. 

31.  "And  the  Lord  shall  be  king  over  all  the  earth  ;  in 
that  day  shall  there  be  one  Lord,  and  his  name  one." — 
Zechariah,  xiv.  9. 

32.  "And   he   said   unto  him,  Why   callest  thou  me 
good?  there  is  none  good  but  one,  that  is  God :  but  if 
thou  wilt  enter  into  life,  keep  the  commandments." — Mat- 
thew, xix.  17. 

33.  "And  Jesus   said  unto  him,  Why  callest  thou  me 
good?  there  is  none  good  but  one,  that  is,  God." — Mark, 
x.  18. 

34.  "And  Jesus  answered  him,  The  first  of  all  the  com- 
mandments is,  Hear,  0  Israel;  the  Lord  our  God  is  one 
Lord."— Mark,  xii.  29. 


270  ONE  RELIGION:   MANY  CREEDS. 

35.  "And  the  scribe  said  unto  him,  Well,  Master,  thou 
hast  said  the  truth  :  for  there  is  one  God ;  and  there  is 
none  other  but  he." — Mark,  xii.  32. 

36.  "And  Jesus  said  unto  him,  Why  callest  thou  ine 
good?  none  is   good,   save  one,   that  is,    God." — Luke, 
xviii.  19. 

37.  "And  this  is  life  eternal,  that  they  might  know 
thee,  the  only  true  God,  and  Jesus  Christ  whom  thou  hast 
sent." — John,  xvii.  3. 

38.  "As   concerning   therefore,    the   eating   of    those 
things  that  are  offered  in  sacrifice  unto  idols,  we  know 
that  an  idol  is  nothing  in  the  world,  and  that  there  is 
none  other  God  but  one." — 1  Corinthians,  viii.  4. 

39.  "Now  a  mediator  is   not  a  mediator  of  one;  but 
God  is  one." — Galatians,  iii.  20. 

40.  "One  Lord,  one  faith,  one  baptism." — Ephesians, 
iv.  5. 

41.  "Now  unto  the  King  eternal,  immortal,  invisible, 
the  only  wise  God,  be  honor  and  glory  forever  and  ever. 
Amen." — 1  Timothy,  ii.  5. 

42.  "  For  there  is  one  God,  and  one  mediator  between 
God  and  men,  the  man  Christ  Jesus." — 1  Timothy,  ii.  5. 

43.  "  Thou  believest  that  there  is  but  one  God ;  thou 
doest  well :  the  devils  also  believe,  and  tremble." — James, 
ii.  19. 

Here  we  have  forty-three  selected  texts,  affirming  that 
there  is  but  one  God.  Five  of  these  are  the  sayings  of 
Christ  himself.  Nine  declare  that  God  Jehovah  is  our 
Saviour  or  salvation,  and  one  is  the  endorsement  of  a 
Scribe  to  the  affirmation  of  Christ,  that  the  Lord  our  God 
is  one  Lord.  Now  this  is  remarkable.  If  Christ  is  God, 
why  is  he  not  so  accredited  both  in  the  Old  and  New  Tes- 


FURTHER  PROOFS.  271 

taments  ?  This  is  not  the  case  in  either  one  or  the  other. 
It  is  easy  to  make  an  assertion  we  admit,  and  if  that 
assertion  is  unsupported  by  good  and  reliable  evidence,  it 
is  of  no  account.  But  if  a  man  makes  an  assertion  on  the 
authority  of  competent  testimony,  that  assertion  is  entitled 
to  our  respect  and  belief.  Now,  it  is  asserted  by  a  large 
majority  of  the  Christian  Churches  that  Christ  is  God : 
but  whence  do  they  derive  their  evidence  to  support  them 
in  such  an  assertion  ?  We  know  of  none  that  carries  any 
weight  with  it,  and  there  is  certainly  none  in  the  Book 
which  they  rely  upon  as  infallibly  true.  We  assert  that 
Christ  was  not  God  ;  and  this,  on  the  testimony  of  God 
Himself,  and  the  man  Jesus,  whom  the  Churches  deify. 
Can  God  lie  ?  He  says,  He  is  not  a  man  that  He  can 
lie :  nor  the  Son  of  Man  that  He  can  repent.  No  one 
can  fail  to  sec  then,  from  the  numerous  foregoing  texts, 
that  we  have,  abundant  Bible  authority  in  support  of  the 
unity  of  the  Godhead ;  and  that  man's  final  deliverance 
from  infirmity  and  affliction  will  be  wrought  out  for  him 
by  the  One  God,  who  is  both  his  Creator,  Preserver,  and 
Redeemer. 

By  way  of  further  proof,  however,  we  will  devote  some 
space  to  viewing  the  subject  through  a  variety  of  phases. 
If  Jesus  had  been  God,  why  did  he,  at  the  time  of  his 
death,  commend  his  soul  to  God?  This  we  are  told  that 
he  most  certainly  did.  "And  about  the  ninth  hour  Jesus 
cried  with  a  loud  voice,  saying,  Eli,  EH,  lama  sabacthani? 
that  is  to  say,  My  God,  My  God,  why  hast  thou  forsaken 
me?"  "And  when  Jesus  had  cried  with  a  loud  voice,  he 
said,  Father  into  thy  hands  I  commend  my  spirit :  and 
having  said  this,  he  gave  up  the  ghost." 

Jesus,  it  is  said,  was  to  be  a  propitiation  for  the  sins  of 
mankind,  on  the  assumption  that  he  was  God,  and  man, 


272  ONE  RELIGION:  MANY  CREEDS. 

and  without  sin.  But  is  this  assumption  consistent  with 
the  assertion,  that  each  and  every  part  of  the  Bible  is 
true?  To  be  without  sin,  the  Bible  says,  is  to  t>e  good. 
Sin,  therefore,  presupposes  the  absence  of  goodness.  Was 
Jesus  good  in  this  way?  As  we  have  before  shown,  he 
says  himself,  that  there  is  none  good  but  one,  that  is  God. 
He  therefore,  could  not  be  without  sin,  neither  could  he  be 
that  propitiation  for  sin  that  he  is  said  to  be,  being  not 
without  sin. 

Again,  it  is  said  that  after  his  resurrection,  Mary  met 
him,  and,  we  presume,  was  about  to  take  hold  of  him, 
when  he  said  unto  her,  "  Touch  me  not ;  for  I  am  not  yet 
ascended  to  my  Father ;  but  go  to  my  brethren  and  say 
unto  them,  I  ascend  unto  my  Father,  and  your  Father ; 
and  to  my  God  and  your  God."  Now,  Jesus  here  repre- 
sents himself  as  standing  in  the  same  relation  to  God,  as 
did  the  woman  to  whom  he  was  addressing  himself.  He 
calls  God  his  Father,  in  the  same  sense  that  he  calls  Him 
her  Father.  If  he,  as  he  is  said  to  have  declared,  was 
one  with  the  Father,  how  could  he  be  Father  to  himself? 
This  is  absurd.  It  makes  the  theory  of  the  Divinity  of 
Jesus  simply  ridiculous. 

Again,  "  Believest  thou  not  that  I  am  in  the  Father ; 
and  the  Father  in  me  ?  the  words  I  speak  unto  you  I 
speak  not  of  myself ;  but  the  Father  that  dwelleth  in  me, 
he  doeth  the  works."  The  Father  dwelleth  in  every  man 
in  the  same  sense. 

"  For  both  he  that  sanctifieth  and  they  who  are  sancti- 
fied are  all  of  one :  for  which  cause  he  is  not  ashamed  to 
call  them  all  brethren."  "  Then,  answered  Jesus,  and 
said  unto  them,  Verily,  Verily,  I  say  unto  you,  The  Son 
can  do  nothing  of  himself,  but  what  he  seeth  the  Father 
do :  for  what  things  soever  he  doeth,  these  also  doeth  the 


FURTHER  PROOFS.  273 

Son  likewise.  For  the  Father  loveth  the  Son,  and  show- 
eth  him  all  things  that  himself  doeth  ;  and  he  will  show 
him  greater  works  than  these,  that  ye  may  marvel." 

"  And  he  saith  unto  them,  Ye  shall  'drink  indeed  of  my 
cup,  and  be  baptized  with  the  baptism  that  I  am  baptized 
with :  but  to  sit  on  my  right  hand,  and  on  my  left,  is  not 
mine  to  give,  but  it  shall  be  given  to  them,  for  whom  it 
is  prepared  of  my  Father."  This  is  precisely  the  reply 
that  any  man,  seeking  to  establish  a  kingdom,  might 
make  to  such  a  question. 

"  Jesus  saith  unto  them,  my  meat  'is  to  do  the  will  of 
him  that  sent  me,  and  to  finish  his  work,"  which  was, 
to  exhort  to  repentance,  and  love  to  God  and  man.  "  For 
I  have  not  spoken  of  myself ;  but  the  Father  which  sent 
me,  he  gave  me  a  commandment,  what  I  should  say,  and 
what  I  should  speak."  "  And  I  know  that  his  command- 
ment is  life  everlasting;  whatsoever  I  speak,  therefore, 
even  as  the  Father  said  unto  me,  so  I  speak." 

So  say  the  Quakers,  and  others,  who  conceive  that  they 
have  a  call  to  preach. 

"  Jesus  saith  unto  them,  If  God  were  your  Father,  ye 
would  love  me  :  for  I  proceeded  forth  and  came  from  God  ; 
neither  came  I  of  myself,  but  he  sent  me." 

"If  ye  keep  my  commandments  ye  shall  abide  in  my 
love  :  even  as  I  have  kept  my  Father's  commandments, 
and  abide  in  his  love." 

Any  preacher  of  the  Gospel  might  without  any  breach 
of  propriety,  so  remark  to  his  flock. 

"  At  that  day  ye  shall  know  that  I  am  in  my  Father, 
and  ye  in  me,  and  I  in  you."  That  is,  the  preacher  and 
congregation  alike,  serving  God,  each  in  his  appropriate 
way,  may  have  the  same  mind  as  the  Father  within  each 
of  them. 
18 


274  ONE  RELIGION:  MANY  CREEDS. 

14  He  that  hath  my  commandments,  and  keepeth  them, 
he  it  is  that  loveth  me,  and  he  that  loveth  me  shall  be 
loved  of  my  Father,  and  I  will  love  him,  and  will  mani- 
fest myself  to  him." 

"  That  they  all  may  be  one  ;  as  thou.  Father,  art  in  me, 
and  I  in  thee,  that  they  also  may  be  one  in  us  ;  that  the 
world  may  believe  that  thou  hast  sent  me."  Now,  Jesus 
might,  with  the  greatest  propriety,  make  use  of  such  lan- 
guage as  this ;  and  yet  be  nothing  more  than  a  teacher, 
in  whom  was  a  large  supply  of  God's  illuminating  mind 
and  goodness.  He  did,  no  doubt,  earnestly  and  elo- 
quently, set  forth,  in  the  most -graceful  and  glowing  colors, 
much  that  was  pure  in  the  eyes  of  men,  and  make  it 
attractive  to  them  ;  and,  having  the  faculty  to  do  this, 
he  found  a  ready  witness  and  response  in  the  hearts  of  his 
hearers.  All  this,  however,  is  by  no  means  an  evidence 
that  he  was  more  than  a  teacher  of  extraordinary  ability. 

During  a  considerable  portion  of  his  three  years  minis- 
try, Jesus  fully  persuaded  himself  that,  by  divine  right, 
he  was  entitled  to  the  throne  of  David.  He  did  not 
believe  himself  to  be  God,  or  to  be  equal  with  God ;  but 
without  doubt  he  felt  assured  that  he  was  the  person 
designated  by  the  prophets,  who  was  to  be  the  earthly 
ruler  and  deliverer  of  the  Jews ;  and  this  led  him  to  act 
in  conformity  with  the  idea.  He  fell  naturally  into  the 
custom  of  the  times,  by  identifying  himself  with  wonder- 
workers. He  performed  what  are  called  miracles,  as  many 
others  did,  to  impress  the  people  with  a  deeper  sense  of 
the  validity  of  his  claim  to  so  exalted  a  position. 

Like  other  men,  he  was  created  "  in  the  image  of 
God;"  St.  Paul  says  of  him,  (Colossiaus,  i.  15,)  "who  is 
the  image  of  the  invisible  God."  But  this  did  not  make 
him  God,  any  more  than  it  did  other  men,  who  are 


JESUS'  IDEA  OF  HIS  MISSION.  275 

created  in  that  image.  An  image  is  not  the  thing  itself. 
Conspicuous  traits  in  him  were,  a  vivid  perception  of  the 
truth  as  written  upon  the  hearts  of  men,  an  apt  mode  of 
presenting  it  in  its  purity  and  beauty,  and  intense  zeal  in 
portraying  it.  "To  this  end,"  say  he,  "was  I  born,  and 
for  this  cause  came  I  into  the  world,  that  I  should  bear 
witness  unto  the  truth.  Every  one  that  is  of  the  truth, 
heareth  my  voice." — John,  xviii.  37.  And  this  "truth" 
comprised  the  two  absorbing  ideas  of  his  life — the  one 
that  he  was  appointed  to  mount  the  throne  of  David,  and 
the  other  that  he  was  sent  of  God  to  preach  and  teach  the 
way  to  heaven  by  the  practice  of  religion  in  its  purity. 
Throughout  nearly  the  whole  of  his  ministry,  he  mani- 
fested extraordinary  zeal  and  made  the  most  strenuous 
efforts  in  inculcating  this  double  belief.  Nor,  considering 
his  enthusiasm  and  the  personal  gifts  with  which  he  was 
graced,  need  we  wonder  that  many  of  those  about  him, 
gradually  caught  his  spirit  and  espoused  his  cause.  With 
this  his  course  of  conduct  was  consistent ;  but  totally 
inconsistent  with  his  being  God  or  'co-equal  with  him. 

The  terms  Christ,  Messiah,  and  The  Anointed  One, 
are  synonomous.  This  will  serve  to  explain  how  Jesus 
conceived  himself  to  be  entitled,  by  virtue  of  the  prophe- 
cies, to  each  or  any  of  these  appellations,  and  saw  therein 
his  right  to  the  throne  of  David  determined.  It  was  in 
fact,  only  with  respect  to  these  two  pretensions  that  the 
claims  of  Jesus  were  upheld  before  the  Jewish  people. 
It  was  not  until  very  late  in  his  lifetime  that  he  conceived 
the  idea  of  the  destruction  of  the  world,  and  the  creation 
of  a  new  one  wherein  the  righteous  only  should  dwell, 
being  ruled  over  by  himself  everlastingly  in  the  flesh. 

The  meaning  which  church  doctrine  gives  to  belief  in 
Jesus,  at  this  day,  is  totally  at  variance  with  each  and  all 


276  ONE  RELIGION:  MANY  CREEDS. 

of  the  views  entertained  of  himself,  and  finds  no  warrant 
either  in  the  letter  or  spirit  of  his  teachings,  or  in  the 
example  which  his  life  furnished  when  rationally  inter- 
preted. This  makes  church  theology  a  thing  totally  dif- 
ferent from  the  religion  of  Jesus.  The  terms  of  salvation 
and  the  only  ones  that  he  prescribed  were  love  of  God,  the 
Father,  good  works,  and  kind  offices  one  towards  another. 
Neither  does  he  anywhere  intimate,  in  any  of  his  say- 
ings or  teachings  that  these  terms  of  salvation  were  to 

O  O 

be  at  all  changed,  added  to,  or  diminished  after  his  death. 
It  was  left  for  the  Apostle  Paul,  many  years  later,  to  put 
forth  a  doctrine  totally  dissenting  from  that  which  Jesus 
had  taught  with  such  marked  effect  during  his  ministry. 
This  doctrine  of  Paul,  it  is  well  known,  is  the  basis  of 
the  Christian  theology  of  our  day.  In  this,  the  main 
features  are,  that  Jesus  voluntarily  gave  up  his  life  to 
redeem  from  the  consequences  of  original  sin  all  who 
should  have  faith  that  he  did  actually  suffer  death  for  this 
express  purpose,  that  such  atonement  was  both  indispen- 
sable and  efficacious  to  the  end  in  view,  and  that  the  real 
worth  of  the  sacrifice  consists  in  the  fact  that  the  victim 
was  co-equal  with  God. 

If  the  death  of  Jesus  imposes  a  belief  in  this  dogma 
as  an  absolutely  essential  requisite  to  eternal  life,  it  may 
be  answered,  that  belief  therein  is  utterly  beyond  man's 
will,  seeing  that  it  is  inexplicable  in  itself  and  runs 
counter  to  all  we  learn  by  study  of  God's  dealings  with 
the  world.  It  is,  moreover,  wholly  out  of  the  reach  ot 
those  who  never  heard  of  it,  comprising  by  far  the  majority 
of  those  beings  whom  God  created  in  his  own  image. 
Furthermore,  we  ask,  is  the  death  of  Jesus  to  give  the  lie 
to  his  life?  He  preached,  while  alive,  a  doctrine  that  he 
who  runs  may  read.  Is  he,  when  dead,  to  be  made  the 


NO  WARRANT  FOR  THIS  IDEA.  277 

centre-piece  of  a  new  and  incomprehensible  theory,  under 
which  the  burden  of  man's  sins  is  to  be  shifted  off  his 
own  shoulders  ?  If  this  be  so,  while  at  the  same  time 
all  the  laws  and  obligations  imposed  by  God  upon  man 
are  left  in  force,  then  most  assuredly  the  way  to  eternal 
life  has  not  been  facilitated,  but  impeded  by  this  vica- 
rious offering  on  the  cross.  We  hold  that  the  death  ot 
Jesus  works  no  change  in  the  requisites  for  our  mode  of 
salvation.  He  himself  never  claimed  that  it  involved 
any  change  whatever.  We  contend,  therefore,  that  Paul 
was  at  fault,  in  promulgating  the  idea  that  it  did.  Paul, 
too,  is  evidently  at  variance  on  these  doctrinal  points  with 
James,  and  with  Peter  also  during  Jesus'  lifetime  at  least, 
and  until  after  Peter's  own  first  sermon  was  delivered, 
and  yet  it  is  from  their  conflicting  views  that  the  present 
system  of  Christianity  is  derived,  and  by  them  that  it  is 
sustained. 

According  to  the  authority  of  the  Apostle  Paul  and 
the  Churches  that  identify  themselves  with  his  views, 
the  particular  kind  of  faith  or  belief  in  Jesus,  which  they 
make  indispensable  for  salvation,  could  have  had  no 
existence  before  the  death  of  Jesus.  And  the  belief 
which  they  imperatively  demand  is  not  that  he  will  die 
at  some  specified  or  indefinite  time  ;  but  that  he  did  die. 
The  faith  therefore  upon  which  Paul  and  the  Christian 
churches  rely  for  salvation,  finds  no  analogy,  precedent, 
or  support  in  the  faith  inculcated  by  Jesus,  and  avowed 
by  his  Apostles  during  his  lifetime.  The  new  creed,  for 
so  it  may  well  be  called,  materially  changes  the  order  of 
worship,  or  of  Divine  Service.  Jesus  himself  made  God 
the  Father  the  crowning  object  of  his  worship.  The 
Churches,  on  the  contrary,  put  Jesus  prominently  in  the 
foreground.  God  the  Father  whom  Jesus  acknowledged 


278  ONE  RELIGION:  MANY  CREEDS. 

as  the  source  and  fountain  of  all  that  is  good,  being  com- 
paratively kept  out  of  sirrht. 

The  extreme  views  of  Paul  and  the  fickleness  of  Peter 
hereon  do  not  need  any  further  elucidation ;  but  the  sub- 
joined passage  from  the  Epistle  of  James  (chapter  ii.) 
serves  to  show  that  this  Apostle  maintained  that  men 
have  been,  and  may  be  justified  solely  through  good 
works  and  the  grace  of  Jehovah.  And  this  view  con- 
forms with  the  largely  preponderating  weight  of  evidence 
in  the  Scriptures:  to  wit,  that  Jehovah  is  the  one  and 
only  true  God,  Redeemer,  and  Saviour  of  mankind,  in 
proof  of  which  we  have  elsewhere  cited  voluminous  texts. 
The  Apostle  James  says,  "  What  doth  it  profit,  my 
brethren,  though  a  man  say  he  hath  faith,  and  have  not 
works?  can  faith  save  him?  If  a  brother  or  sister  be 
naked,  and  destitute  of  daily  food,  And  one  of  you  say  unto 
them,  Depart  in  peace,  be  ye  warmed  and  filled ;  notwith- 
standing ye  give  them  not  those  things  which  are  needful 
to  the  body;  what  doth  it  profit?  Even  so  faith,  if  it 
hath  not  works,  is  dead,  being  alone.  Yea,  a  man  may 
say,  Thou  hast  faith,  and  I  have  works ;  shew  me  thy 
faith  without  thy  works,  and  I  will  shew  thee  my  faith 
by  my  works.  Thou  believest  that  there  is  one  God, 
thou  doest  well:  the  devils  also  believe  and  tremble. 
But  wilt  thou  know,  0  vain  man,  that  faith  without 
works  is  dead?  Was  not  Abraham  our  father  justified  by 
works  when  he  had  offered  Isaac  his  son  upon  the  altar? 
Seest  thou  how  faith  wrought  with  his  works,  and  by 
works  was  faith  made  perfect?  And  the  Scripture  was 
fulfilled  which  saith,  Abraham  believed  God,  and  it  was 
imputed  unto  him  for  righteousness  and  he  was  called  the 
Friend  of  God.  Ye  see  then  how  that  by  works  a  man 
is  justified,  and  not  by  faith  only." 


TEXTS  DISPROVING  JESUS'  DIVINITY.          279 

Abraham,  it  is  true,  is  described  as  offering  sacrifice; 
but  it  was  in  accordance  with  custom,  his  whole-souled 
faith  being  based  on  God -Jehovah,  not  Jesus.  Therefore, 
the  only  belief  necessary  in  connection  with  good  works, 
to  insure  salvation,  is  belief  in  the  Almighty  Jehovah  ; 
and  this  is  in  flat  contradiction  to  the  doctrine  of  the 
Churches.  Thus  we  have  Paul  and  the  Churches,  on  one 
side  of  this  vexed  and  dogmatical  question  ;  and  Jesus, 
James,  Natural  Religion,  and  the  balance  of  Biblical 
authority,  on  the  other. 

There  is  nothing  in  the  Bible  from  Jesus  shewing  that 
he  ever  entertained  the  idea  that  man  was  created  perfect 
and  fell  from  that  state  through  Adam,  or  that  his  (Jesus') 
crucifixion  would  prepare  the  way  for  man's  restoration  in 
accordance  with  the  scheme  of  Christian  Theology,  neither 
does  the  Bible  furnish  a  single  unequivocal  declaration 
from  Jesus  to  the  effect  that  he  claimed  himself  to  be 
co-equal  with  God  ;  nor  does  it  contain  a  solitary  word 
from  him,  that  could  bear  such  construction,  which  he  did 
not  subsequently  explain  away,  or  which  has  not  since 
been  proved  to  be  erroneous. 

In  denying  having  claimed  to  be  God,  when  the  Jews 
were  about  to  stone  him  for  what  they  deemed  equivalent 
to  such  a  claim,  he  asserts  that  he  made  no  such  declara- 
tion, or  anything  that  could  be  construed  into  such,  and 
cites  the  Jewish  laws,  customs,  and  practices  in  support 
of  his  assertion. — John,  x.  33,  34,  35,  36. 

Furthermore,  it  is  plain  from  the  following  texts,  that 
the  term  God,  as  applied  to  Jesus,  does  not  necessarily 
mean  God  the  Creator  of  the  universe :  "  Your  eyes 
shall  be  opened,  and  ye  shall  be  as  gods  knowing  good 
and  evil." — Genesis,  iii.  5  ;  "  And  the  Lord  said  unto 
Moses,  See  I  have  made  thee  a  god  to  Pharaoh." — 


280  ONE  RELIGION :  MANY  CREEDS. 

Exodus,  vii.  1  ;  "  Who  is  like  unto  thee,  Ob,  Lord,  among 
the  Gods  ?" — Exodus,  xv.  2  ;  "For  the  Lord  your  God,  is 
God  of  Gods." — Deuteronomy,  x.  17  ;  "  Among  the  gods 
there  is  none  like  unto  thee,  0,  Lord." — Psalm,  Ixxxvi. 
8  ;  "  Thou,  Lord,  art  high  above  all  the  earth ;  thou  art 
exalted  far  above  all  Gods." — Psalm,  xcvii.  9. 

Again,  what  could  be  more  emphatic  than  the  follow- 
ing language  of  the  Apostle  Paul  ?  "  For,  though  there 
be  that  are  called  gods,  whether  in  heaven  or  in  earth — as 
there  be  gods  many  and  lords  many.  Eut  to  us  there  is 
but  one  God,  the  Father  of  whom  are  all  things,  and  we 
in  Him ;  and  one  Lord  Jesus  Christ  by  whom  are  all 
things,  and  we  by  Him." — 1  Corinthians,  viii.  5,  6  ; 
"  For,  therefore,  we  both  labor  and  suffer  reproach,  because 
we  trust  in  the  living  God,  who  is  the  Saviour  of  all  men, 
especially  of  those  that  believe." — 1  Timothy,  iv.  10. 

Now,  within  these  three  texts,  three  points  are  laid 
down  with  decisive  clearness.  One  is  that  the  living  God 
is  the  Saviour  of  all  men,  as  distinguished  from  Jesus, 
who  is  nowhere,  in  the  Bible,  absolutely  called  the  living 
God.  Another  is,  that  there  is  but  one  God,  the  Father 
of  all  men,  and  consequently  the  Father  of  Jesus.  The 
third  is,  that  all  men  are  in  God  the  Father  and  He  in 
them.  The  expression  of  Jesus,  "the  Father  is  in  me, 
and  I  in  Him,"  implied  nothing  more  than  that  relation- 
ship which  exists  between  God  and  every  one  of  mankind. 
The  same  is  true  as  to  his  saying,  "  I  and  my  Father  are 
one  " — that  is,  I  and  my  Heavenly  Father  are  one  in 
purpose.  Every  man  is  an  instrument  in  God's  hands  for 
the  accomplishment  of  his  ends  ;  and  inasmuch  as  God 
has  made  sure  that  man  shall  co-operate  with  Him  to 
serve  these  ends,  in  the  way  and  to  the  full  extent  of  His 
original  intention — every  man  in  a  certain  sense  is  one 


JESUS'  TEACHING.  281 

in  purpose  with  God.  It  is  evident  that  this  is  all,  that 
Jesus  could  have  meant  by  the  expression.  The  closing 
sentence  in  the  last  of  the  texts  above  quoted  may  per- 
haps be  taken  as  illustrative  of  the  changing  or  mixed 
nature  of  Paul's  religious  views.  A  Pharisee  himself, 
and  the  son  of  a  Pharisee,  and  brought  up  at  the  feet  of 
Gamaliel,  he  had  nevertheless  emancipated  himself  from 
Jewish  tradition,  and  was  content  to  preach  that  true  and 
onlv  religion  which  makes — to  use  his  own  words — "  the 

•*  O 

living  God  the  Saviour  of  all  men."  Not  yet  an  advo- 
cate of  that  awful  doctrine  of  the  church,  which  dooms 
the  great  bulk  of  mankind  to  everlasting  torment,  he  had, 
as  it  were,  a  foretaste  of  its  exclusiveness  ;  and  this  found 
vent  in  his  mild  phrasing,  especially  of  those  that  believe. 
But  whatever  Paul's  trimming,  or  meaning,  all  men  believe 
that  there  is  a  God  to  whom  they  are  accountable,  know 
right  from  wrong,  and  believe  that  virtue  is  more  estima- 
ble than  vice.  But  some  men  shape  their  daily  conduct 
under  the  influence  of  this  belief,  and  actuated  by  their 
agency  more  in  accordance  with  their  duty  to  God,  their 
neighbor,  and  their  own  welfare,  than  others.  Every 
man,  owing  in  some  measure  to  the  various  circumstances 
which  surround  him,  is  at  different  times  more  or  less 
governed  by  varying  influences.  Hence,  exhorting  men 
to  repent  of  their  evil  deeds,  and  to  practice  good  works, 
is  among  the  services  which  one  man  may  render  to 
another ;  and  in  this  Jesus  made  himself  conspicuous. 
He  exhorted  men  to  be  mindful  of  and  to  practice  the 
religion  of  the  heart  and  conscience ;  and  no  doubt  with 
marked  success  and  excellent  effect.  And  since  such 
practice  is  the  important  thing,  the  all-in-all,  for  this  and 
the  future  life,  and,  as  the  most  stimulating  influence 
thereto  came  to  the  many  by  and  through  Jesus'  iiistru- 


282  ONE  RELIGION:  MANY  CREEDS. 

mentality,  under  the  natural  promptings  originally  im- 
planted in  man,  it  might  with  truth  be  said  that  the 
things  that  were  all-important  came  from  God,  by  and 
through  Jesus,  in  a  natural  way.  Thus  simply  is  explained 
the  expression  in  the  text,  "  Christ  by  whom  are  all  things, 
and  we  by  him." 

The  exhorting  men  to  repentance  and  the  practice  ot 
good  works,  we  say,  was  one  among  the  services  by  which 
Jesus  made  himself  conspicuous.  Repentance  was  the 
great,  the  predominant  theme  of  his  life.  It  was  more 
on  his  lips  than  any  other.  His  name  was  more  inti- 
mately associated  with  it,  than  with  any  other.  It  is  evi- 
dent, therefore,  that  he  conceived  that  the  great  want  of 
the  Jewish  people,  and  particularly  of  the  Jewish  priest- 
hood and  others  in  authority,  was  repentance.  And  it  was 
for  his  persistent  cry  to  this  end,  and  his  pretensions  to 
the  Messiahship,  that  he  suffered  persecution  and  death. 
On  these  two  ideas  he  staked  his  all.  And  being  instru- 

o 

mental  in  causing  the  Jewish  people  to  repent  and  return 
to  a  more  consistent  course,  his  disciples  continued  the 
work  in  his  name  and  under  its  prestige. 

It  is  important  here,  however,  to  observe,  that,  accord- 
ing to  the  record,  Jesus  in  his  last  and  most  important 
interview  with  his  disciples,  spoke  not  a  single  word  that 
can,  by  the  remotest  inference,  be  construed  as  enjoining 
upon  them  to  preach  or  inculcate  belief  or  faith  in  certain 
claims,  since  set  up  on  his  behalf.  These  were,  that  he 
was  co-equal  with  God,  and  that  belief  or  faith  in  such 
asserted  dogma  was  indispensable  to  salvation.  This 
omission  assists  greatly  in  determining  the  much  disputed 
question  of  his  relationship  with  God.  As  we  before 
remarked,  there  is  no  Bible  record  to  show  in  a  plain  and 
unmistakable  manner,  that  Jesus,  out  of  his  own  mouth, 


JESUS  NEVER  CLAIMED  DIVINITY.  283 

ever  pretended  to  be  co-equal  with  God,  the  Lord  Jehovah. 
On  the  other  hand,  there  are  numerous  sayings  of  his 
which  disclaim,  or  are  inconsistent  with,  any  such  preten- 
sions. Take,  for  example,  the  following  citations.  He 
had  spoken  of  God  as  his  Father :  on  account  of  which, 
"  The  Jews  took  up  stones  and  stoned  him.  Jesus 
answered  them,  many  good  works  have  I  showed  you 
from  my  Father ;  for  which  of  these  works  do  ye  stone 
me  ?  The  Jews  answered  him,  saying,  For  a  good  work 
we  stone  thee  not :  but  for  blasphemy,  and  because  that 
thou  being  a  man  inakest  thyself  God.  Jesus  answered 
them,  Is  it  not  written  in  your  law,  I  said  ye  are  Gods  ? 
If  he  called  them  Gods  unto  whom  the  word  of  God  came, 
and  the  scripture  cannot  be  broken  ;  Say  ye  of  him  whom 
the  Father  hath  sanctified,  and  sent  into  the  world,  Thou 
blasphemest,  because  I  said,  I  am  the  Son  of  God?  If  I 
do  not  the  works  of  my  Father  believe  me  not.  But 
if  I  do,  though  you  believe  not  me,  believe  the  works : 
that  ye  may  know,  and  believe,  that  the  Father  is  in  me, 
and  I  in  him." — John,  x.  31-38.  This  is  equivalent  to 
saying  that  it  did  not  follow,  nor  did  he  intend  it  to  be  so 
understood,  that  because  he  said,  "  the  Father  is  in  me 
and  I  in  him,"  he  therefore  claimed  equality  with  God 
the  Father,  and  Creator  of  all  mankind.  In  justification 
of  himself,  he  cites  the  license,  which  the  Scriptures  give, 
to  call  those  men  gods  unto  whom  the  word  of  God  came. 
It  is  evident,  therefore,  from  this  explanation  of  his  hav- 
ing said,  "  I  and  my  Father  are  one,"  that  he  meant  that 
he  was  God,  only  in  the  ordinary  sense  of  the  word ;  that 
by  diligently  doing  the  works  of  the  one  God,  as  others 
had  done  unto  whom  the  word  of  God  came,  he  had  the 
same  claim  to  such  an  honorable  estimation  and  title.  In 
the  event,  however,  of  their  not  yet  being  prepared  to 


284  ONE  RELIGION:    MANY  CREEDS. 

acknowledge  even  this  subdued  claim,  he  took  the  pre- 
caution to  refer  them  to  the  result  of  his  works,  as  prov- 
ing that  he  was  engaged  in  promulgating  God's  will,  less 
entangled  with  error  than  was  the  case  with  their  then 
accepted  teachers. 

It  may  be  well  to  bear  in  mind,  too,  that  the  Apostle 
Paul  nowhere  gives  Jesus  the  title  of  the  Living  God ; 
neither  did  he  believe  him  to  be  the  Saviour  of  men. 
He  speaks  clearly  to  this  point  in  two  texts,  one  of  which 
has  been  already  quoted :  "For  therefore  we  both  labor 
and  suffer  reproach,  because  we  trust  in  the  Living  God, 
who  is  the  Saviour  of  all  men." — 1  Timothy,  iv.  10  ;  "As 
concerning  therefore,  the  eating  of  those  things  that  are 
offered  in  sacrifice  to  idols,  we  know  an  idol  is  nothing  in 
the  world,  and  that  there  is  none  other  God  but  one." — 
1  Corinthians,  viii.  4. 

Christian  theology  maintains  that  Jesus  came  into  the 
world  and  took  on  him  the  form  of  a  man,  for  the  express 
purpose  of  suffering  crucifixion  as  a  propitiation  for  the 
sins  of  the  world.  This  is  in  direct  contradiction  to  Jesus' 
own  declared  views  on  the  subject.  He  says  :  "  To  this 
end  was  I  born,  and  for  this  cause  came  I  into  the  world, 
that  I  should  bear  witness  unto  the  truth." — John,  xviii. 
37.  In  other  words,  he  meant  that  his  mission  was  to 
preach  natural  religion,  love  to  God,  love  to  man,  and 
good  works,  uncontaminated  by  the  dogmas  of  the  Jewish 
priests.  This  view  is  confirmed  out  of  his  own  lips,  in 
another  place  :  "I  will  have  mercy,  and  not  sacrifice  :  for 
I  am  uot  come  to  call  the  righteous  but  sinners  to  repent- 
ance."— Matthew,  ix.  3.  In  fact  what  he  here  conceived 
to  be  his  relation  to  God  and  man  corresponds  exactly 
with  what  any  conscientious  minister  of  the  Gospel  might 
say  of  himself,  and  forces  the  conviction  that  he  esteemed 


INGENUITY   OF  THE   PRIESTS.  285 

himself  nothing  more  than  man,  in  any  sense  of  the  word. 
This  estimate  is  consistent  with  the  every-day  practice  of 
his  life.  "And  Jesus  went  about  all  the  cities  and  vil- 
lages, teaching  in  their  synagogues,  and  preaching  the 
gospel  of  the  kingdom,  and  healing  every  sickness  and 
every  disease  among  the  people." — Matthew,  ix.  34. 

No  other  view  than  this,  of  his  own  conception  of  his 
vocation  and  office  can,  in  our  judgment,  be  derived  from, 
the  Bible.  None  other,  we  think,  can  be  reached  by  any 
fair  and  rational  construction,  unbiased  by  preconceived 
opinions  imbibed  from  the  false  and  forced  constructions 
of  those  who  make  it  their  business  to  mystify  and 
.entangle  the  dogmas,  theologies,  and  creeds  of  their  own 
invention  with  true  religion — with  the  religion  of  nature — 
with  the  religion  of  which  Jehovah  is,  at  once,  the 
founder,  the  great  high-priest,  and  the  preserver,  and  of 
which  Jesus  was,  in  much  of  his  teachings — though  not 
the  author — a  remarkably  true  and  zealous  expounder. 
At  the  same  time,  while  there  is  no  reliable  proof  that 
Jesus  is  God,  there  is  much  to  the  contrary,  which  ought, 
as  we  conceive,  to  be  conclusive  to  all.  The  negative 
evidence  is  so  strong,  that  no  one  can  pretend  that  Jesus 
ever  occupied  the  throne  of  David  in  the  capacity  pre- 
dicted, or  in  any  other.  This  alone,  in  all  fairness  should 
suffice  for  the  total  discredit  of  all  the  prophecies  upon 
which  his  Messiahship  has  been  based ;  and  would  do  so, 
were  it  not  for  the  ingenuity,  adroitness,  learning,  mental 
ability  and  persistence,  of  the  leading  priests  in  ancient 
and  modern  times.  The  former,  in  an  age  when  super- 
stition and  ignorance  favored  their  designs,  stimulated  by 
pecuniary  interest,  and  a  greed  for  domination,  ensnared 
their  unsuspecting  victims  into  a  web  of  the  marvellous 
and  mysterious,  which  for  the  unenlightened  has  a  charm 


286  ONE  RELIGION :  MANY  CREEDS. 

so  intricate,  so  subtle,  and  so  strong,  that  generations  of 
intellectual  culture  were  required  to  extricate  men  from  its 
toils.  As  to  the  modern  priesthood,  while  the  craving 
for  wealth  and  power  equally  subsists  in  them,  the 
moment  the  fallacy  of  their  teaching  is  detected,  they 
shape  and  twist  their  theology,  interpreting  this  passage 
of  scripture  symbolically,  and  that  one  literally,  as  serves 
the  occasion,  so  that  it  becomes  well  nigh  impossible  to 
bring  them  to  an  acknowledgment  of  the  untenableness 
of  their  position.  Thus,  if  they  cannot  elude  detection 
as  to  the  hollowness  of  many  among  their  ingeniously 
contrived  devices,  they  at  least  find  some  loop-hole  for 
escape  ;  and  the  more  they  are  pressed  to  the  wall  by  the 
intelligence  of  the  age,  the  more  vehemently  they  cry  out : 
" He  that  believeth  and  is  baptized  shall  be  saved;  but 
he  that  believeth  not,  shall  be  damned."  Nor  could 
there  be  a  more  striking  instance  of  clerical  perversion, 
than  occurs  in  reference  to  this  denunciation.  It  is 
applied  from  a  thousand  pulpits,  to  the  whole  complicated 
theory  of  original  sin  and  redemption  by  the  blood  of 
Christ.  Under  what  circumstances  did  Jesus  utter  it? 
With  respect  to  the  scheme,  as  it  is  well  called,  of  salva- 
tion ?  Not  at  all.  Immediately  preceding  the  record  of 
these  words,  is  this  verse,  (Mark,  xvi.  14 :)  "Afterward 
he  appeared  unto  the  eleven  as  they  sat  at  meat,  and 
upbraided  them  with  their  unbelief  and  hardness  of  heart, 
because  they  believed  not  them  which  had  seen  him  after 
he  was  risen."  Not  a  word  here  touching  sin  or  sacrifice. 
It  is  only  unbelief  in  his  personal  identity — the  unbelief 
of  his  own  disciples  then  before  him — that  is  so  uncere- 
moniously denounced  by  Jesus.  But  the  time  is  fast 
approaching,  when  all  this  cloud  of  error  will  be  dispersed, 
and  the  craft  of  a  profession  rendered  futile.  Human 


CHARACTER  OF   JESUS'   PRECEPTS.  287 

physical  slavery  has  been  compelled  to  succumb,  at  the 
mandate  of  educated  honesty.  The  enslavers  of  human 
intellect  must,  ere  long,  lose  their  prestige  over  the  intel- 
lects of  others,  and  cease  to  prey  upon  the  pecuniary  sub- 
stance of  their  fellow-men.  Conscience,  common  sense, 
and  culture,  are  fast  gaining  the  mastery  over  church 
theology  and  a  dogmatic  priesthood. 

The  doctrine  of  Jesus  is  nowhere  more  plainly  laid 
down,  than  in  his  own  description  of  the  view  that  will 
be  taken  of  the  conduct  of  men  by  the  final  judge  of  the 
world.  "I  was,"  says  he,  "a  hungered,  and  ye  gave  me 
meat :  I  was  thirsty,  and  ye  gave  me  drink :  I  was  a 
stranger,  and  ye  took  me  in  :  Naked  and  ye  clothed  me ;  I 
was  sick,  and  ye  visited  me  :  I  was  in  prison,  and  ye  came 
unto  me."  In  reply  to  the  enquiry,  when  these  things 
were  done  in  his  behalf,  the  King  says. that,  "Inasmuch 
as  they  were  done  to  the  least  of  his  little  ones, -they  were 
done  unto  him." — Matthew,  xxv.  35,  36.  Such  is  what 
Jesus  considers  to  be  requisite  for  entering  into  the  King- 
dom of  Heaven,  that  is  to  say,  good  works,  which  are, 
practically,  love  to  God  and  love  to  man.  He  conceives 
that  there  is  nothing  further  required.  The  grand  aim  of 
his  own  life,  at  least  of  the  earlier  parts  of  it,  seem  to  have 
been  to  manifest  such  a  disposition.  I  am  come,  said  he, 
on  another  occasion,  "  not  to  destroy,  but  to  fulfill  the 
law ;"  and  the  context  shows  that  he  had  reference  to  the 
moral  law  of  God,  which  was  over  him  in  common  with 
all  mankind.  He  therefore  exhorted  all  about  him  to 
strive  for  this  one  thing,  to  become  obedient  to  the  laws  of 
God,  that  they  might  be  like  Him — God.  "  Be  ye, 
therefore,  perfect,"  said  he,  "  as  your  Father  also  is  per- 
fect."— Matthew,  v.  48.  His  precepts  and  teachings  in 
detail,  too,  were  all  of  this  same  character.  "  Blessed 


288  ONE  RELIGION:  MANY  CREEDS. 

are  the  merciful,"  said  he,  "  for  they  shall  obtain  mercy. 
Blessed  are  the  pure  in  heart,  for  they  shall  see  God. 
Blessed  are  the  peace-makers,  for  they  shall  be  called  the 
children  of  God."— Matthew,  v.  7,  8,  9 ;  "Do  not  com- 
mit adultery  ;  Do  not  steal ;  Do  not  bear  false  witness  ; 
Defraud  not ;  Honor  thy  father  and  mother." — Mark,  x. 
19  ;  "  Forgive  men  their  trespasses." — Matthew,  vi.  14  ; 
"  Whatsoever  ye  would  that  men  should  do  to  you,  do  ye 
even  so  to  them,  for  this  is  the  law  and  the  prophets." — 
Matthew,  vii.  12.  Now,  what  a  catalogue  of  good  works 
does  he  here  collect  which,  while  they  have  no  reference 
to  any  peculiar  sentiments  of  his  own,  are  accepted  and 
inculcated  by  him,  as  the  teaching  of  God  to  all  men, 
through  their  intuitions ;  and  proper  sense  of  right ;  and 
which  he  considered  himself  as  much  bound  to  obey  as 
ourselves.  And  that  he  and  others  who  lived  by  this 
rule,  might  be  acknowledged  as  so  doing,  he  gave  a  test 
whereby  men  might  judge  in  this  matter :  "  Ye  shall 
know  them  by  their  fruits,"  said  he  ;  and  again,  -'  A 
good  man  out  of  the  good  treasure  of  his  heart  bringeth 
forth  good  things."  He  was  a  good  man,  but  he  claimed 
to  be  nothing  more.  He  nowhere  speaks  of  himself  as 
God — on  the  contrary  he  almost  invariably  calls  himself, 
"  The  Son  of  Man  ;"  and  defends  himself  from  the  charge 
of  calling  himself  God,  when  using  expressions  that  were 
so  construed,  on  the  plea  that  such  expressions  were 
allowable  under  the  Jewish  usages,  without  implying  that 
he  made  himself  God.  That  this  is  his  estimate  of  him- 
self may  be  seen  still  more  clearly.  He  quotes  from  the 
Old  Testament — and,  "  The  first  of  all  the  command- 
ments "  is  '  Hear,  0,  Israel;  the  Lord  our  God  is  ONE 
LORD.'  "  He  thus  emphatically  acknowledges  that  there 
is  but  one  God,  which  is  equivalent  to  denying  that  he 


CHARACTER  OF  JESUS'  PRECEPTS.  289 

himself  was  God.  But  if  this  is  not  deemed  sufficient, 
hear  what  he  says  further :  "  Worship  the  Father  in  spirit 
and  in  truth." — John,  iv.  23  ;  "  Jesus  said  unto  them,  My 
meat  is  to  do  the  will  of  him  that  sent  me." — John,  iv. 
34;  "I  speak  not  of  myself;  the  Father  which  sent 
me  gave  me  the  commandments." — John,  v.  37  ;  "  My 
Father  is  greater  than  I." — John,  xiv.  28.  Now,  are  not 
these  expressions  equally  applicable  to,  and  proper  to  be 
made  by  all  men,  who  are  teachers  of  true  religion  ? 
So  far  as  our  knowledge  extends,  through  our  natural 
instincts  and  intuitions,  there  neither  is,  nor  can  be,  any 
intermediate  grade  of  being  or  beings  between  God  and 
man. 

But  is  it  claimed  that  he  was  sent  by  the  Father,  and 
that  he  was  endowed  with  supernatural  powers,  because 
he  said,  "And  this  is  life  eternal  that  they  might  know 
thee,  the  only  true  God,  and  Jtsus  Christ  whom  thou 
hast  sent." — John,  xviii.  31.  In  the  same  sense  God  sends 
every  man  into  the  world.  It  is  the  light  of  God  in  the 
soul  of  man  which  is  his  true  Teacher;  "That  was  the 
true  light  which  lighteth  every  man  that  cometh  into  the 
world." — John,  i.  9;  "Behold  the  Kingdom  of  God  is 
within  you." — Luke,  xvii.  21  ;  "Fear  not,  for  it  is  the 
Father's  good  pleasure  to  give  you  the  kingdom." — Luke, 
xii.  32.  "  Blessed  are  they  who  hear  the  word  of  God  and 
keep  it," — Luke,  xi.  28, — that  is,  blessed  are  they  who 
hear  and  obey  the  voice  of  conscience  and  the  teaching  of 
the  external  universe  ;  "  He  that  doeth  truth  cometh  to 
the  light  that  his  deeds  may  be  made  manifest  that  they 
are  wrought  in  God." — John,  iii.  21;  "Jesus  answered 
them,  my  doctrine  is  not  mine,  but  his  that  sent  me," — 
John,  vii.  16, — it  would  be  well  if  all  teachers  could  con- 
scientiously say  this;  "Jesus  cried  and  said,  he  that 
19 


290  ONE  RELIGION:  MANY  CREEDS. 

believeth  on  me,  believeth  not  on  me,  but  on  him  that 
sent  me." — John,  xii.  44  ;  which  is  of  extreme  signifi- 
cance in  determining  this  question,  as  it  is  equivalent  to 
saying  that  belief  in  him  is  a  mere  figure  of  speech,  to 
indicate  belief  in  the  God  Jehovah.  From  this  it  is  evi- 
dent that,  wherever  Jesus  speaks  of  man's  welfare  as 
being  advanced  by  love  to,  and  belief  in  him,  he  simply 
means  that  man  is  to  believe  in  and  love  and  practice 
the  doctrines  which  he  is  urging  on  the  attention  of  his 
hearers,  and  these  are  always  of  one  and  the  same  im- 
port : — love  to  God  and  man.  Take  collectively  those 
exhortations  of  Jesus  which  are  recorded  in  the  Bible ; 
and,  although  they  are  not  always  in  harmony  or  con- 
sistent with  each  other,  the  only  rational  deduction  and 
conclusion  to  be  drawn  from  them  is,  that  he  conceived 
himself  to  stand  in  the  same  relation  to  God  as  other 
men,  except  that  he  was  inculcating  a  purer  doctrine  than 
that  taught  by  those  about  him.  And  it  is  this  separa- 
tion of  true  religion  from  error,  at  a  day  when  it  was  so 
pre-eminently  needed,  that  made  him  dear  to  the  people 
of  that  period  and  his  remembrance  precious  to  succeed- 
ing generations.  His  saying,  "  believe  in  me,"  meant 
nothing  further  than  believe  in  the  doctrines  which  I 
teach,  and  which  go  by  my  name,  thus  implying  that  he 
.is  but  as  other  men,  who  advocate  religion  in  its  purity. 
By  thus  associating  himself  with  other  men  in  the 
duties  of  his  office  and  ministry,  it  is  evident  that,  accord- 
ing to  his  view,  they  all  stand  in  the  same  relation  to 
God ;  that  he  and  they  are  all  alike  the  recipients  of 
God's  love — all  alike  subject  to  his  laws,  will,  and  guid- 
ance. The  only  difference  between  him  and  those  about 
him  was,  that  he  set  himself  up  as  their  Teacher,  and 
that  they  acknowledged  themselves  to  be  his  disciples. 


CHARACTER  OF  JESUS'    PRECEPTS.  291 

This  view  of  Jesus  and  his  vocation  is  far  better  sup- 
ported by  his  own  sayings  and  doings,  than  the  position, 
attributes,  and  functions  assigned  to  him  by  the  Christian 
Church.  It  may  be  that,  at  times,  he  went  a  little 
beyond  the  natural  teaching  of  God  to  all  men — no  doubt 
he  did  in  some  of  the  kindly  feelings  and  offices,  which 
he  conceived  should  be  entertained  and  practised  by  men 
one  towards  another.  Perhaps  in  some  particulars  they 
are  too  refined  for  general  observance  and  application. 
Indeed,  it  will  be  at  once  recognized  that  they  are  more 
than  average  human  nature  is  capable  of  manifesting. 
Of  such  kind  are  these :  "  But  I  say  unto  you  that 
ye  resist  not  evil :  but  whosoever  shall  smite  thee  on  thy 
right  cheek,  turn  to  him  the  other  also.  And  if  any  man 
will  sue  thee  at  the  law,  and  take  away  thy  coat,  let  him 
have  thy  cloak  also.  And. whosoever  shall  compel  tliee 
to  go  a  mile,  go  with  him  twain.  Give  to  him  that 
asketh  thee,  and  from  him  that  would  borrow  of  thee  turn 
not  thou  away.  Ye  have  heard  that  it  hath  been  said, 
thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbor,  and  hate  thine  enemy. 
But  I  say  unto  you,  Love  your  enemies,  bless  them  that 
curse  you,  do  good  to  them  which  hate  you  ;  and  pray  for 
them  which  despitefully  use  you  and  persecute  you." — 
Matthew,  v.  39,  40,  41,  42,  43,  44. 

Still,  making  allowance  for  these  exaggerations,  we 
maintain  that  the  only  practicable  mode  of  manifesting 
ardent  love  to  God  is  the  actual  performance,  with  lively 
diligence,  of  those  things  which  are  just,  and  true  and 
good.  This  is  inculcated  by  Jesus  in  most  impressive 
terms,  some  of  which  we  have  quoted,  and  his  seal  is  put 
upon  the  worth  of  this  practical  faith,  by  his  emphatic 
saying,  with  reference  to  charities ;  "  Inasmuch  as  ye 
have  done  it  unto  one  of  the  least  of  these  my  brethren 


292  ONE  RELIGION :  MANY  CREEDS. 

ye  have  clone  it  unto  me."  Whoever  follows  this  course 
faithfully  and  sincerely,  we  insist  is  a  religious  man  in 
the  fullest  sense  of  the  word,  notwithstanding  the  com- 
bined declarations  of  all  Christendom  to  the  contrary. 

The  denunciations  of  Jesus  were  as  emphatic  as  they 
could  be  against  those  who  incidentally  perverted  his 
teachings,  which,  though  imparted  by  God  to  all  men 
without  Jesus'  aid,  were  so  enthusiastically  enforced  by 
him  as  to  produce  great  uneasiness  and  consternation 
amongst  the  corrupt  rulers  and  priesthood  of  his  time — 
indeed,  so  much  so',  as  to  cause  him  to  be  falsely  accused 
and  murdered  on  the  cross,  under  pretence  of  judicial 
authority.  Among  the  rebukes  administered  by  Jesus  to 
the  priesthood  of  his  day  are  there  not  some  as  applicable 
now,  to  that  same  class  of  individuals,  as  they  were  then? 
"  For  laying  aside  the  commandment  of  God,  ye  hold  the 
tradition  of  men,  as  the  washing  of  pots  and  cups ;  and 
many  other  such  like  things  ye  do.  Ye  reject  the  com- 
mandments of  God  that  ye  may  keep  your  own  tradi- 
tion." "  Making  the  word  of  God  of  none  effect  through 
your  tradition,  which  ye  have  delivered :  and  many  such 
like  things  do  ye."— Mark,  vii.  8,  9,  13. 

To  the  simple  teachings  of  Nature  and  Jesus,  theolo- 
gians add  that  of  natural  depravity  of  man.  This  idea 
is  false  in  its  conception.  It  is  an  imputation  against 
the  wisdom  and  goodness  of  God,  and  blasphemous  in  its 
character.  It  implies  that  God  is  neither  Omnipotent 
nor  Omniscient ;  that  He  is  unable  to  create  and  control 
all  things  aright  according  to  His  will  and  pleasure. 

Exciting  terror  in  the  minds  of  men,  by  teaching  the 
doctrine  of  eternal  torment,  is  another  imputation  against 
God's  infinite  goodness.  These  and  many  others  of  a 
similar  nature,  we  hesitate  not  to  say  have  had  their  ori- 


ANANIAS  AND   SAPPHIRA.  293 

gin  in  the  attempts  of  dishonest  and  designing  men  to 
defraud  their  more  honest  and  unsuspecting  fellow-crea- 
tures. Examples  of  this  we  have,  even  amongst  the 
earliest,  and  perhaps  more  sincere  followers  of  Jesus ; 
nay,  even  amongst  those  who  are  called  his  Apostles. 
Take  the  well-known  story  of  Ananias  and  Sapphira  as 
a  sample  :  "  Neither  was  there  any  among  them  that 
lacked  :  for  as  many  as  were  possessors  of  lands  or  houses 
sold  them  and  brought  the  prices  of  the  things  that  were 
sold,  And  laid  them  down  at  the  Apostles'  feet :  and  dis- 
tribution was  made  unto  every  man  according  as  he  had 
need. 

"  And  Joses,  who  by  the  Apostles  was  surnamed  Barna- 
bas, (which  is  being  interpreted.  The  son  of  consolation,) 
a  Levite,  and  of  the  country  of  Cyprus.  Having  land, 
sold  it,  and  brought  the  money,  and  laid  it  at  the  Apos- 
tles' feet."— Acts,  iv.  34,  35,  36,  37.  "But  a  certain 
man  named  Ananias,  with  Sapphira  his  wife,  sold  a  pos- 
session. And  kept  back  part  of  the  price,  his  wife  also 
being  privy  to  it,  and  brought  a  certain  part  and  laid  it 
at  the  Apostles'  feet.  But,  Peter  said,  Ananias,  why 
hath  Satan  filled  thine  heart  to  lie  to  the  Holy  Ghost, 
and  to  keep  back  part  of  the  price  of  the  land  ?  While 
it  remained,  was  it  not  thine  own,  and  after  it  was  sold, 
was  it  not  in  thine  own  power  ?  Why  hast  thou  con- 
ceived this  thing  in  thine  heart  ?  Thou  hast  not  lied 
unto  men,  but  unto  God.  And  Ananias  hearing  these 
words,  fell  down  and  gave  up  the  ghost :  and  great  fear 
came  on  them  that  heard  these  things.  And  the  young 
men  arose,  wound  him  up,  and  carried  him  out  and 
buried  him.  And  it  was  about  the  space  of  three  hours 
after,  when  his  wife,  not  knowing  what  was  done,  came 
in.  And  Peter  answered  unto  her,  Tell  me  whether  ye 


294  ONE  RELIGION:  MANY  CREEDS. 

sold  the  land  for  so  much?  And  she  said,  Yea,  for  so 
much.  Then,  Peter  said  unto  her,  How  is  it  that  ye 
have  agreed  together  to  tempt  the  spirit  of  the  Lord  ? 
Behold  the  feet  of  them  which  have  buried  thy  husband 
are  at  the  door,  and  shall  carry  thee  out.  Then  fell  she 
down  straightway  at  his  feet,  and  yielded  up  the  ghost ; 
and  the  young  men  came  in,  and  found  her  dead,  and 
carrying  her  forth,  buried  her  by  her  husband.  And 
great  fear  came  upon  all  the  church,  and  upon  as  many 
as  heard  these  things." — Acts,  v.  1 — 11.  The  idea  at- 
tempted to  be  inculcated  by  these  representations  is,  that 
God  was  so  incensed  and  offended  with  the  persons  who 
withheld  a  part  of  their  possessions  for  their  own  use, 
instead  of  giving  it  all  to  the  Apostles,  that  He,  instantly, 
by  an  especial  act,  struck  them  dead.  Now,  this  we  hold 
to  be  entirely  at  variance  with  God's  dealings  with  his 
creatures  at  this  or  any  other  time  and  place,  and  the 
promulgation  of  such  a  story  was,  as  we  conceive,  a 
trick,  a  cheat,  for  the  purpose  of  extorting  money  from 
and  gaining  domination  over  those  susceptible  of  being  so 
wrought  upon  through  their  fears.  If  it  shall  be  sug- 
gested as  possible  that  the  death  of  these  persons  took 
place  in  accordance  with  the  natural  workings  of  God's 
universal  and  never-varying  laws,  we  reply :  Had  it 
been  Ananias  alone  who  was  said  to  be  stricken  dead,  we 
might  attribute  his  death  to  the  effect  of  sudden  shame 
or  fear  acting  upon  a  system  deranged  by  high  nervous 
excitement.  Rare  as  such  cases  are,  they  are  not  entirely 
inconsistent  with  the  physical  laws  of  our  being,  nor  alto- 
gether beyond  our  natural  experiences.  But,  when  a 
second  person,  after  so  brief  an  interval,  is  put  through 
the  same  identical  process  of  cross-questioning,  condemna- 
tion, and  collapse,  even  the  most  extreme  credulity  takes 


RATIONAL  EXPLANATION.  295 

alarm  and  shies  off.  One  fortuitous  coincidence  between 
Peter's  denunciation  and  the  breaking  of  human  heart 
strings  might  be  received  as  a  possible  circumstance. 
Two  such  fortuitous  coincidences,  coming  one  close  upon 
another,  pass  all  bounds  of  credibleness.  If  it  be  claimed 
that  the  persons  of  the  day  of  the  early  Apostles  had 
more  tender  consciences  in  regard  to  lying  or  false  pre- 
tence than  those  of  our  day,  and,  therefore,  might  be 
more  likely  to  die  from  a  sense  of  shame  on  account  of 
having  been  detected  in  making  false  representations,  it 
so  happens  that  we  are  not  without  means  of  testing  the 
susceptibility  of  the  Apostles  themselves,  which  at  least 
should  not  fall  below  that  of  the  common  people  about 
them.  It  appears  from  Bible  record  that  Peter,  the  ver- 
itable Apostle  who  accused  Ananias  of  lying,  spoke  falsely 
when  he  denied  knowledge  of  Jesus  thrice  in  succession. 
But,  when  detected,  he  neither  fell  dead  from  shame,  nor 
was  he  stricken  down  by  the  Almighty.  Again,  the 
character  and  the  false  spirit  of  Judas  are  indicated  by 
his  betrayal  of  Jesus  into  the  hands  of  his  enemies,  and 
by  his  own  thieving  propensities.  All  this  proves  that 
human  nature  was  no  better  in  the  time  of  Peter  and 
Judas,  than  now  ;  and  this  puts  it  beyond  possible  'credi- 
bility that  Ananias  and  his  wife  died  (if  death  there  was) 
of  a  broken  heart. 

This  leaves  no  alternative  but  to  refer  their  death  to  a 
supernatural  cause.  Now,  we  appeal  to  the  rational  and 
common-sense  men  of  our  day,  whether,  if  at  this  time, 
and  in  any  part  of  the  world,  an  occurrence  of  the  kind 
under  consideration  was  said  to  have  taken  place  as  a 
supernatural  and  especial  exhibition  of  God's  vengeance, 
for  the  cause  assigned  by  the  Apostle  Peter,  it  would 
receive  the  slightest  credence  ?  And  yet,  this  is  the 


296  ONE  RELIGION:  MANY  CREEDS. 

version  that  Peter  gives  of  the  pretended  phenomena. 
We  further  submit  whether  the  claiming  of  Peter,  that 
God  in  his  vengeance  smote  two  persons  dead  in  quick 
succession,  for  the  cause  assigned,  does  not  come  with  a 
particularly  ill  grace  from  a  person  notoriously  untruthful, 
from  one  whom  Jesus  denounced  as  Satanic,  and  as  savor- 
ing not  duly  of  the  things  of  God.  It  is  further  submitted, 
whether  if  the  death  of  the  persons  in  question  did  occur 
at  the  time  and  place,  and  under  the  circumstances  nar- 
rated, is  it  not  more  likely  that  it  resulted  from  foul  play, 
instigated  by  the  Apostles  for  base  purposes,  rather  than 
that  the  immediate  cause  of  death  was  the  upbraidings  of 
conscience,  fear,  or  the  supernatural  visitation  of  God  mani- 
fested for  the  express  purpose  of  frightening  people  into 
putting  all  their  property  at  the  disposal  of  the  Apostles. 
And  this  trick,  as  we  deem  it,  had  for  a  time  the  expected 
effect;  and  "great  fear  came  upon  all  the  Church  and 
upon  as  many  as  heard  these  things."  These  people 
were  evidently  made  to  fear  lest  they  should  not  conform 
to  the  wishes  of  the  Apostles,  and  thereby  subject  them- 
selves to  the  summary  vengeance  of  God  invoked  by 
them.  And,  we  are  told  that  "by  the  hands  of  the 
Apostles  were  many  signs  and  wonders  wrought  among 
the  people And  of  the  rest  durst  no  man  join  him- 
self to  them."  Unclean  spirits  also,  as  we  say,  were  pre- 
tended to  be  cast  out,  another  false  pretence  for  the  gain- 
ing of  power.  "  And  believers  were  the  more  added  to 
the  Lord,  both  men  and  women." 

We  have  no  doubt  but  that  the  character  of  this  belief 
was  that,  if  they — that  is,  all  upon  whom  great  fear 
came — did  not  blindly  follow  the  bidding  of  the  Apostles 
in  relation  to  the  giving  up  all  their  property  to  them, 
they  could  not  escape  the  vengeance  of  the  Lord,  which 


THREAT  OF  ETERNAL  PUNISHMENT.          297 

the  Apostles  would  invoke  against  them.  This  presents 
a  dark  picture  of  human  nature  ;  but  the  odium  pertains 
but  to  a  comparative  few — the  mass  of  mankind  are  of 
the  better  sort. 

We  are  happy  to  believe  that  a  large  majority  of  the 
enlightened  men  of  our  day  and  country  not  only  disbe- 
lieve, that  the  man  and  his  wife  were  stricken  down  by 
God  for  the  reason  assigned  by  the  Apostles ;  they  also 
are  shocked  by  the  hypocrisy,  and  perchance  the  mur- 
derous spirit,  involved  in  the  affair.  But  the  Apostles 
were  not  without  their  competitors  and  imitators  in  this 
respect.  There  were  at  that  time  many  different  churches, 
doctrines,  and  creeds,  some  of  which  preceded  them.  The 
leaders  of  the  earlier  sects,  perceiving  that  the  new 
comers  were  even  more  greedy  than  themselves — claiming 
not  only  a  part  of  men's  substance,  but  the  whole — feared 
lest  there  would  be  nothing  left.  On  this  account,  and 
on  account  of  the  growing  influence  of  the  Apostles,  they 
often  came  in  conflict  with  each  other ;  and  one  of  the 
results  of  these  feuds,  is  thus  set  down  .  "The  high  priest 
rose  up,  and  all  they  that  were  with  him,  which  is  the 
sect  of  the  Sadducees,  and  were  filled  with  indignation. 
And  laid  their  hands  on  the  Apostles,  and  put  them  in 
the  common  prison." — Acts,  v.  17,  18. 

We  trace,  also  in  this  transaction,  the  germ  of  that 
dominating  and  grasping  spirit  which  was  carried  to  so 
revolting  a  pitch  by  the  Christian  Church,  during  the 
dark  and  middle  ages,  as  is  seen  elsewhere  in  this  work. 
And  yet,  there  are  many  practices,  in  some  of  the  Chris- 
tian Churches,  at  the  present  time,  which  are  only  a  little 
less  glaring  and  despicable. 

A  striking  analogy  exists  between  Peter's  intimidating 
process  for  raising  revenue  for  the  Church,  and  that  which 


298  ONE  RELIGION :  MANY  CREEDS. 

yet  so  extensively  prevails.  We  allude  especially  to  the 
menacing  of  the  people  by  threats  of  everlasting  punish- 
ment if  they  do  not  embrace  a  particular  dogma  or  article 
of  faith  to  the  exclusion  of  many  others.  Might  it  not 
be  said,  therefore,  that  herein  Peter  is  the  symbolic  foun- 
dation of  the  Church,  which  is  so  faithful  to  his  propen- 
sities, and  which,  we  augur,  will  not  be  able  much  longer, 
to  withstand  the  flood  of  light,  common  sense,  and  reason, 
that  menaces  it,  both  in  this  and  other  countries? 

We  proceed  to  point  to  some  of  the  other  devices,  that 
are  resorted  to  at  the  present  day,  for  swelling  the  coffers 
of  the  Church,  and  which  we  conceive  to  be  altogether 
unjustifiable.  Prominent  among  them  is  the  preaching  of 
mystical  and  wonder-exciting  dogmas  and  theologies,  and 
the  exhibition  of  imposing  ritualism,  ceremonies,  and 
paraphernalia,  the  invention  and  traditions  of  men,  so 
appropriately  condemned  by  Jesus  in  these  pertinent 
words  :  "  For  laying  aside  the  commandments  of  God,  ye 
hold  the  tradition  of  men.  *  *  *  Making  the  word  of 
God  of  none  effect  through  your  traditions."  Again,  the 
fable  of  Purgatory  is  instrumental  in  extracting  large 
sums  from  those  who  are  made  to  believe  that  their 
deceased  friends  are  suffering  terrific  torments  therein, 
and  can  only  be  released  from  it  by  the  prayers  of  the 
Church,  which  prayers  can  only  be  procured  by  money 
forthcoming.  The  granting  of  indulgences  by  the  Church, 
which  in  plainer  language  means  the  privilege  to  sin,  and 
absolution  from  the  consequences  of  sin — neither  of  which 
God  ever  grants — may  also  be  named  as  prolific  and  dis- 
graceful sources  of  revenue  to  the  Church.  Representing 
God  as  punishing  the  smallest  sin  everlastingly,  with  the 
most  excruciating  torment,  in  a  wrathful  and  vindictive 
spirit — unless  the  sinner  has  full  faith  that  Jesus  is 


JESUS  NOT  A  SAVIOUR.  299 

co-equal  with  Jehovah,  and  that  he  (Jesus)  is  the  only 
Saviour  of  men  from  everlasting  punishment,  entailed  on 
them  by  reason  of  the  sin  of  Adam — is  another  of  the 
whips  with  which  they  scourge  the  people.  This  threat- 
ening with  God's  vengeance  all,  who  are  not  within  the 
pale  of  the  Church,  is  of  the  same  character  as  the  farce 
enacted  by  the  apostles  before  mentioned,  and  is  resorted 
to  with  a  similar  view.  Its  object  is  to  frighten  into  their 
net  all  those  who  are  susceptible  of  being  so  c«perated 
upon,  and  thus,  incidentally,  to  swell  the  church's  gain. 
Such  an  intimidating  process  cannot  be  persisted  in  by  the 
clergy,  with  an  eye  single  to  the  spiritual  and  temporal 
welfare  of  their  hearers,  while  at  the  same  time  they  have 
a  full  knowledge  of  the  existence  of  such  Bible  testimony 
as  is  here  cited ;  "Yet  I  am  the  Lord  thy  God  from  the 
land  of  Egypt,  and  thou  shalt  know  no  God  but  me :  for 
there  is  no  Saviour  beside  me." — Hosea,  xiii.  4;  "I  am 
the  Lord  thy  God,  the  Holy  One  of  Israel,  thy  Saviour." 
Isaiah,  xliii.  3  ;  "I,  even  I,  am  the  Lord ;  and  beside  me 
there  is  no  Saviour." — Isaiah,  xliii.  11 ;  "And  all  flesh  shall 
know  that  I  the  Lord  am  thy  Saviour  and  thy  Redeeme/, 
the  Mighty  One  of  Jacob." — Isaiah,  xlix.  25;  "We  trust 
in  the  living  God,  who  is  the  Saviour  of  all  men,  espe- 
cially of  those  that  believe," — 1  Timothy,  iv.  10;  and 
we  insist  that  all  men  believe,  as  we  heretofore  endeavored 
to  show.  The  appellation  of  the  Living  God  is  nowhere 
in  the  Bible  applied  to  Jesus.  Peter  called  him  the  Son 
of  the  Living  God,  but  we  have  before  shown  that  this 
might  be  applied  to  other  men  as  well  as  to  Jesus.  In 
addition  to  the  foregoing,  however,  there  are  in  the  Bible 
a  dozen  or  more  texts,  directly  affirming  that  there  is  but 
one  God,  and  not  a  word  positively  declaring  that  Jesus 
is  God — co-equal  with  Jehovah. 


300  ONE  RELIGION :  MANY  CREEDS. 

But  further  proof  of  the  erroneous  dogmas  and  decla- 
rations of  the  Church  can  be  furnished :  "All  flesh  shall 
see  the  salvation  of  God." — Luke,  iii.  4,  6;  "And  the 
glory  of  the  Lord  shall  be  revealed,  and  all  flesh  shall  see 
it  together:  for  the  mouth  of  the  Lord  hath  spoken  it." — 
Isaiah,  xl.  5.  These  texts  give  assurance  that  each 
human  being  will  be  saved  by  The  Lord  God-Jehovah, 
to  the  enjoyment  of  His  glory — not  by  Jesus,  as  some 
assert.  They  are  also  irreconcilable  with  the  church 
dogma,  that  the  majority  of  mankind  will  be  the  subjects 
of  God's  everlasting  vengeance.  If  it  shall  be  objected 
that  there  is  Bible  authority  for  such  a  dogma,  and  suffi- 
cient for  it,  then  we  say  that  this  does  but  show  that  the 
Bible  is  fallible,  and  the  production  of  fallible  men,  since 
God  cannot  contradict  himself. 

If  the  human  soul  is  placed  upon  earth  as  a  preparatory 
measure  to  fit  it  for  an  existence  in  eternity,  the  natural 
inference  is,  that  the  soul  retains  the  main  characteristics 
throughout,  and  there  is  nothing  in  the  so-called  word  of 
God,  to  contradict  this  idea.  The  soul  naturally  craves 
constant  progression  from  one  state  to  that  of  another. 
A  continued  state  of  rest,  even  unattended  with  pain  or 
want,  cannot  afford  happiness,  nothing  short  of  progress 
from  incident  to  incident,  from  new  interests  to  new 
interests,  can  satisfy  the  soul — to  be  happy  it  must  be  in 
harmony  with  the  gravitating  influence  which  is  ever 
leading  it  on  the  great  mission  of  assimilating  itself  to  its 
Maker.  Restlessness  is  one  of  the  great  features  with 
which  God  has  endowed  the  soul,  to  the  end  that  it  may 
never  cease  seeking  Him  and  finding  out  more  and  more 
the  wondrous  ways  and  mysteries  of  God,  and  glorifying 
him — and  yet  the  theologians  tell  us  that  beyond  the 
grave  the  blessings  of  Christ's  kingdom  shall  be  peace  and 


THE  SPIRIT  RESTLESS.  301 

quietness  forever.  "And  my  people  shall  dwell  in  peace- 
able habitations  and  in  sure  dwellings,  and  in  quiet  rest- 
ing places." — Isaiah,  xxxii.  18.  This  is  adverse  to  the 
great  purposes  of  God.  The  course  of  the  human  spirit 
is  onward. 

Man,  so  far  as  we  know,  is  the  only  created  being 
endowed  with  qualities  capable  of  comprehending  and 
appreciating  the  wisdom,  goodness  and  glory  of  God. 
Shall  his  brief  existence  upon  earth,  while  there  is  an 
eternity  before  him,  be  the  limit  of  time  allowed  to 
complete  his  strivings  to  know  God,  the  inexhaustible — 
no;  the  normal  condition  of  the  human  soul  is  neither 
perpetual  rest  in  peace  or  perpetual  torment,  but  a  never 
ceasing  activity  in  cultivating  and  bringing  itself  more 
and  more  to  the  appreciation  of  its  Maker.  The  follow- 
ing is  quite  as  wide  of  the  true  nature  of  the  soul  as  the 
foregoing  theological  view.  The  Bible  narrative  in  rela- 
tion to  our  first  parents,  is  so  construed  by  the  Church,  as 
to  inculcate  the  idea  that  Adam  and  Eve  and  all  their 
posterity,  were  originally  intended  by  God  to  live  a  life 
of  ease,  and  without  labor,  pain,  care,  death,  or  anything 
else  to  disturb  them  from  a  perfect  state  of  peace,  happi- 
ness and  quietness,  instead  of  experiencing  the  vicissi- 
tudes incident  to  an  active  life  of  good  works.  A  further 
construction  of  the  theologians  put  upon  this  fable,  would, 
if  true,  present  the  matter  thus — 

If  the  first  human  pair  had  not  eaten  of  the  forbidden 
fruit,  no  one  of  the  human  family  would  have  perceived 
that  their  nakedness  was  uncomely  in  the  presence  of 
others ;  in  other  words,  there  would  have  been  no  such 
trait  in  human  character  as  modesty.  The  inauguration 
of  modesty  appears  from  the  Bible  narrative  to  have 
been  the  very  first  consequences  of  disobedience  of  com- 


302  ONE  RELIGION :  MANY  CREEDS. 

mand,  and  it  is  apparent,  as  the  story  goes,  that  God 
recognized  the  sensation  of  shame  which  Adam  and  Eve 
experienced  in  consequence  of  their  nakedness  as  being 
praiseworthy,  inasmuch  as  he,  without  delay,  assisted 
them  in  administering  to  it  by  making  both  for  Adam 
and  Eve  coats  of  skins  and  clothing  them.  Another 
inference  from  the  narrative  in  question  is,  that  but  for 
the  disobedience  of  our  original  parents,  no  one  of  the 
human  family  would  ever  have  became  so  assimilated  to 
God  as  to  know  good  from  evil.  The  further  inference 
is  that  man,  by  his  first  breach  of  divine  law,  learned  that 
the  true  enjoyment  of  life  and  existence  consisted  in  act- 
ing in  conformity  to  the  law,  which  is  equivalent  to  the 
partaking  of  the  tree  of  life. 

Now  admitting,  for  the  argument,  that  these  Bible  nar- 
ratives are  other  than  fables,  it  follows  th#t  but  for  origi- 
nal sin  we  should  have  been  without  modesty,  without 
any  knowledge  of  the  difference  between  good  and  evil, 
without  any  assimilation  to  God,  and  without  knowledge 
of  the  way  which  leads  to  life  eternal — in  short,  on  a 
level  with  the  brute  creation. 

Now,  if  all  these  consequences  of  original  sin  are  to  be 
abolished  according  to  the  Church  version  of  the  subject, 
by  resurrection  through  Christ,  would  we  be  the  gainers 
by  such  restoration,  to  the  original  ignorance  and  absence 
of  shame  of  nudeness  imputed  to  our  first  parents  before 
they  had  eaten  the  forbidden  fruit. 

It  has  been  remarked  that  Jesus  was  persuaded,  during 
the  latter  portion  of  his  ministry,  that  he  was  sent  to  be 
"  The  King  of  the  Jews,"  and  to  preach  a  purer  doctrine 
to  the  people  than  that  which  was  taught  through  means 
of  the  Jewish  priesthood.  He  was  also  surrounded  by 
those  who  favored  these  ideas,  and  who  were  constantly 


BELIEF  IN  JESUS.  303 

urging  his  claims  to  such  a  position  and  to  such  an  office, 
When  they  had  succeeded  in  convincing  themselves  on 
this  point,  they  were  naturally  desirous  to  bring  others 
to  the  same  conclusion.  And  there  can  be  no  doubt,  but 
that  he  also  caught  the  spirit,  and  lent  his  voice  to  the 
cry,  "believe  and  be  baptized!"  This  cry,  from  habit, 
and  from  the  consciousness  that  the  doctrine  which  he 
preached,  led  to  life  and  happiness  here  and  hereafter, 
was  constantly  in  his  mouth.  In  this  way  he  was 
gradually  led  to  associate  himself  with  it.  "  Ye  believe  in 
God,"  said  he,  "believe  also  in  me." — John,  xiv.  1.  But 
that  it  was  nothing  more  than  the  doctrine,  which  ho  pro- 
claimed as  the  way  to  eternal  life  and  in  which  he  soli- 
cited belief,  we  infer  from  the  record  of  John  the  Evan- 
gelist, who  speaks  of  him  in  these  words ;  "  The  same 
came  for  a  witness,  to  bear  witness  of  the  Light,  that  all 
men  through  him  might  believe." — John,  i.  7.  When 
this  plain  language  is  considered  in  connection  with  the 
fact,  that  he  denied  that  he  was  God  or  co-equal  with 
God,  it  fully  warrants  the  view  of  his  office  and  religious 
sentiments  which  is  taken  in  this  work. 

Now,  the  interpretation  which  the  Churches  put  upon 
belief  in  Jesus,  and  the  one  here  adopted,  cannot  be  re- 
ceived together.  So  great  is  the  difference  between  them, 
that  they  are  totally  inconsistent  with  each  other.  Jesus 
either  meant  that  eternal  life  would  result  from  belief  in 
his  doctrine  of  love  to  God,  and  good  works,  or  he  meant 
that  belief  in  his  being  co-equal  with  God  insured  eternal 
life.  If  he  meant  that  the  latter  must  be  added  to  a  life 
of  good  works,  it  is  inconceivable  why  he  did  not  make 
such  a  declaration  in  plain  and  unmistakable  terms,  which 
he  never  did,  at  least  there  is  no  such  record  in  the  Bible. 
On  the  other  hand,  he  did  declare  repeatedly  and  expli- 


304  ONE  RELIGION:   MANY  CREEDS. 

citly,  in  the  plainest  words  and  in  the  most  impressive 
manner  possible,  that  the  sura  total  of  the  requirements 
for  the  inheritance  of  eternal  life  is,  love  to  the  One  God, 
love  to  man,  and  good  works.  Such  a  belief  as  this, 
when  taken  in  the  sense  here  advocated,  shows  "  the 
Religion  of  Jesus "  to  coincide  and  harmonize  with  the 
religion  of  the  heart,  the  conscience,  and  the  common 
sense  of  all  mankind.  In  short,  it  is  in  unison  with  the 
religion  of  nature  and  of  the  God  of  nature,  and  shares 
this  marked  feature  with  the  actuating  principle  that 
underlies  the  religion  of  every  people  on  the  face  of  the 
globe,  however  debased  by  the  infusion  of  absurd  dogmas 
and  the  practice  of  repulsive  rites. 

The  church  mode  of  interpreting  the  words  of  Jesus 
makes  our  eternal  happiness  depend  on  our  ability  to 
believe  certain  obscure  passages  of  the  Bible,  containing 
accounts  of  what  one  person  says  in  relation  to  another ! 

If  belief  comes  at  all,  it  must,  of  necessity,  be  involun- 
tary. No  man  can  have  a  real,  honest  faith,  of  the  kind 
just  mentioned,  except  through  intuition,  or  upon  evidence 
that  is  irresistibly  convincing.  Belief,  therefore,  not  being 
a  matter  of  free  agency,  there  can  be  no  merit  in  its 
adoption,  whereas,  on  the  contrary,  good  works,  which  a 
man  may,  or  may  not  do,  constitute  the  only  acceptable 
mode  of  manifesting  love  to  God. 

Man's  moral  accountability  to  God,  for  his  conduct  here 
can  have  reference  only  to  those  actions  over  which  man 
himself  has  any  control,  that  is  to  say,  those  which,  by 
virtue  of  his  free  agency,  he  may  do  or  leave  undone 
at  his  own  will  and  pleasure.  Belief  in  Jesus  as  a 
God  and  a  Redeemer,  which  the  system  of  'Christianity 
demands  as  indispensable  to  salvation,  is  not  among  the 
actions  that  man  can  control  at  will ;  neither  is  it  among 


JESUS  AS  A  TEACHER.  3Q5 

the  convictions  that  come  to  us  spontaneously,  or  by  the 
inevitable  consequences  of  nature's  universal  teaching. 
It  is  not  like  the  assurance  that  there  is  an  overruling 
Intelligence,  to  whose  laws  we  are  each  and  all  account- 
able. Hence,  the  belief  in  question,  if  binding  on  us  at 
all,  must  of  necessity  be  founded  upon  evidence,  the 
sufficiency  or  insufficiency  of  which  it  is  in  the  capacity 
of  the  reasoning  faculties  to  scan,  weigh,  and  determine. 
Again:  "He  that  believeth  on  the  Son  hath  everlasting 
life ;  and  he  that  believeth  not  the  Son  shall  not  see  life  : 
but  the  wrath  of  God  abideth  on  him." — John,  iii.  36. 
This  suggests  the  inquiry,  what  does  believing  on  the  Son 
mean  ?  Is  it  that  his  teaching,  or  that  believing  on  him, 
personally  as  the  Son,  leads  to  everlasting  life?  If 
we  may  rely  upon  the  explanation  from  Jesus'  own 
mouth  to  believe  in  him,  was  to  believe  in  his  teach- 
ing, and  his  teaching  is  not  his  own,  but  God's.  He 
said  himself — John,  vii.  16, — "My  doctrine  is  not  mine, 
but  his  that  sent  me."  In  his  solitary  prayer,  also 
recorded  by  St.  John  in  the  17th  chapter  of  his  Gospel, 
Jesus  says,  in  the  6th  verse:  "I  have  manifested  thy 
name  unto  the  men  which  thou  gavest  me  out  of  the 
world,  and  they  have  kept  thy  word;"  in  the  8th  verse, 
*'  For  I  have  given  unto  them  the  words  which  thou  gavest 
me;"  and  again,  in  the  14th  verse,  "I  have  given  them 
thy  word."  Thus  it  is  clear,  on  his  owu  testimony,  that 
it  was  God's  doctrine  that  Jesus  taught.  What,  also,  said 
Paul,  narrating  to  Agrippa  his  own  course,  after  his  own 
conversion?  "Whereupon,  0  King  Agrippa,  I  was  not 
disobedient  unto  the  heavenly  vision,  but  shewed  first 
unto  them  of  Damascus,  and  at  Jerusalem,  and  through- 
out all  the  coasts  of  Judea,  and  then  to  the  Gentiles,  that 
they  should  repent  and  turn  to  God,  and  do  works  meet 
20 


306  ONE  RELIGION :  MANY  CEERDS. 

for  repentance."  This  is  Paul's  view  of  the  obligations 
of  Christianity,  in  the  way  of  teaching,  even  though  the 
vision  that  set  him  to  work  was  in  the  form  of  the  Lord 
Jesus.  Paul  also,  in  the  midst  of  Mars  Hill,  at  Athens, 
proclaimed — Acts,  xvii.  24,  27,  28, — the  "unknown" 
God  whom  the  Greeks  ignorantly  worshipped  as  "  the 
God  that  made  the  world  arid  all  things  therein."  He 
added,  furthermore,  the  remarkable  declaration,  that  the 
Lord  is  not  far  from  every  one  of  us :  "  For  in  him  we  live, 
and  move,  and  have  our  being ;  as  certain  also  of  your 
poets  have  said,  For  we  are  also  his  offspring."  Herein 
we  detect  the  recognition  of  that  great  first  principle  of 
all  religion  which  is  implanted  in  us  by  God  himself,  and 
a  contradiction  of  the  human  dogma  that  consigns  all  men 
to  perdition,  outside  of  a  chosen  few  of  the  elect. 

Just  in  proportion  as  a  man  teaches  and  practices  the 
laws  pertaining  to  his  existence,  in  more  or  less  purity, 
the  more  or  less  conspicuously  does  God  appear  in  him. 
Now,  if  any  preacher  of  the  present  day  were  to  commence 
teaching  the  truths  relating  to  man's  well  being  here, 
and  to  his  happiness  hereafter,  unencumbered  with  church 
dogmas,  as  were  the  teachings  of  Jesus,  his  hearers  would 
know  at  once  that  his  doctrine  came  from  God.  Their 
minds  and  consciences  would  both  bear  witness  to  it; 
and  it  would  seem  to  those,  who  first  heard  it,  like  a 
miracle,  because  of  its  novelty.  That  a  religious  teacher 
of  our  day  should  inculcate  love  to  God  manifested  by  acts 
of  kindness,  one  towards  another,  as  the  total  requisite 
for  man's  highest  enjoyment,  would  seern  almost  incred- 
ible. And  yet,  such  was  the  teaching  of  Jesus,  both  by 
precept  and  example.  It  was  his  everyday  vocation,  pur- 
sued with  untiring  zeal,  before  he  conceived  the  idea  that 
he  was  the  Messiah.  No  wonder  Nicodemus  expressed 


JESUS  AS  A  TEACHER.  3Q7 

himself  as  he  did.  He  instantly  recognized  that  the 
great  celebrity  which  Jesus  had  obtained,  grew  out  of  the 
excellency  and  purity  of  the  doctrines  which  he  taught ; 
that  he  was  admirably  adapted  to  his  mission  of  promul- 
gating and  enforcing  unadulterated  truth ;  and  of  so  point- 
ing out  the  way  that  leads  to  eternal  life,  as  to  justify  him 
in  saying,  "I  am  the  way,  the  truth,  and  the  life." 

But  the  religion,  which  Jesus  associated  with  belief  in 
himself,  is  more  fully  illustrated  by  his  last  charge  to  his 
disciples,  when  to  push  forward  the  good  work  which  he 
had  commenced,  he  sent  them  to  teach  all  nations,  to  take 
his  mantle  upon  them,  to  avail  themselves  of  his  renown 
as  a  teacher,  to  assume  his  office,  and  to  hand  down  to  all 
posterity  the  doctrines  with  which  his  name  and  fame 
were  identified.  He  charged  them  to  preach  repentance, 
which  is  the  turning  point  to  a  better  course — that  which 
works  an  aversion  to  sin,  and  which  leads  to  a  higher  life. 
All  this  shows  that  be  believed  in  himself  as  a  teacher  of 
God's  laws  in  relation  to  man.  His  course  and  teaching 
evince  that  his  genius  lay  particularly  in  that  line,  as  was 
the  case  also  with  Zoroaster,  Mohammed,  Buddha,  Con- 
fucius, and  other  celebrated  founders  of  religious  systems 
and  expounders  of  morals.  In  him,  as  in  the  above  men- 
tioned persons,  that  peculiar  faculty  was  most  extraordi- 
narily developed.  He  had  a  happy  facility  for  laying  bare 
divine  truths,  and  disentangling  them  of  the  bewildering 
mazes  into  which  designing  men  had  woven  them,  for 
base  purposes. 

Such  we  believe  to  have  been  the  character  of  Jesus ; 
and  we  believe,  also,  that  his  endowments,  like  those  of 
the  persons  cited  above,  although  extraordinary,  were 
natural  and  not  supernatural.  In  virtue  of  such  quali- 
ties, he  became  obnoxious  to  the  grasping  priesthood  of 


308  ONE  RELIGION:  MANY  CREEDS. 

the  day,  whom  he  never  spared,  and  by  whom  he  was 
relentlessly  pursued,  dragged  before  the  tribunal,  spe- 
ciously accused,  and  finally  murdered. 

But,  if  Jesus  conceived  that  belief  in  him  signified  that 
which  his  followers  claimed  for  him,  and  that  he  was  God 
as  they  claim,  we  cannot  comprehend  how  it  was  that  he 
did  not  make  the  subject  so  plain  and  unmistakable  that 
all  mankind  would  have  had  their  duty  placed  squarely 
before  them.  Neither  can  we  understand  why  their  eter- 
nal doom,  for  not  exercising  such  a  belief  in  him,  was  not 
so  emphatically  taught  them  by  natural  intuition,  or  other 
evidence,  that  they  could  not  have  misunderstood  him. 
How  far  this  is  from  the  fact,  is  indicated  bv  the  number 
of  sects  into  which  Christianity  is  split. 

And  yet  those  who  profess  to  be  his  disciples  teach, 
that  if  men  do  not  blindly  believe,  just  what  they  pro- 
pound foi  them  to  believe,  they  are,  for  their  contumacy, 
to  be  condemned  to  everlasting  punishment,  and  this  too, 
as  before  shown,  in  the  face  of  an  imperative  law  of 
nature,  which  makes  either  intuition,  or  other  evidence, 
indispensable  to  belief.  We  persist  that  the  individual 
mind  of  the  person  to  whom  belief,  in  anything,  is  pro- 
pounded, must  be  the  final  and  sole  arbiter.  Therefore 
every  real — not  blind — belief,  in  relation  to  Jesus,  is 
totally  involuntary,  and  beyond  man's  control,  and  con- 
sequently, involves  neither  merit  nor  demerit. 

This  holds  good,  also,  in  relation  to  those  who  have 
never  had  any  such  dogma  presented  to  their  minds ;  and, 
is,  therefore,  not  among  the  things  for  which  God  holds 
them  accountable.  No  one  can  believe  a  proposition  with- 
out convincing  evidence  of  its  truth,  or  withhold  belief  in 
the  face  of  such  evidence.  Nor  can  any  man  comprehend 
how  it  is,  that  the  simple  fact  of  arriving  at  a  state  of 


NO  GOOD   RESULTS  FROM   THIS   BELIEF.       309 

mind  called  belief  in  the  divinity  of  Jesus,  and  his  sacri- 
fice for  sin,  should  entitle  the  believer  to  everlasting  bliss, 
while,  at  the  same  time  such  belief  offers  no  suggestion 
of,  or  stimulant  to  good  works. 

Action  is  the  order  of  nature.  It  is,  therefore,  not 
alone  sufficient  that  man  should  have  a  proper  conviction 
of  his  duty — he  is  required  to  act  in  accordance  with  it 
as  well ;  but  church  doctrine  says,  "whosoever  believeth 
on  me — meaning  Jesus — shall  inherit  eternal  life."  And 
this  is  repeated,  again  and  again,  without  addition,  sub- 
traction, or  qualification. 

On  the  isolated  acceptance  of  'this  question  of  belief 
hariijs  everlasting  bliss  ;  on  the  converse  everlasting  death, 
say  the  clergy.  We  hold  that  no  state  of  the  mind  can 
receive  countenance  from  God  which  is  not  productive  of 
an  active  life  of  good  works.  Jesus  taught  this,  and  it 
was  the  only,  and  the  entire  requisite  which  he  made  for 
the  inheritance  of  eternal  life. 

How  can  an  impression  or  a  conviction  that  there  are 
two  Gods,  or  three  Gods,  in  place  of  one  God,  be  of  any 
effect  in  inciting  men  to  the  performance  of  what  all 
recognize  as  duty — to  the  exercise,  for  instance,  of  charity, 
which  St.  Paul  himself  declares  to  be  greater  than  faith 
or  hope  ?  Is  there  any  specific  or  magnified  virtue  in  a 
subdivided  Godhead  ?  Does  it  tend  to  clear  up  any  of 
the  mystery,  in  which  the  Supreme  Being  has,  for  the 
present,  been  pleased  to  enwrap  himself  from  our  know- 
ledge, or  to  enhance  our  ideas  of  his  wisdom  and  power  ; 
to  be  told  that  Divinity  is  triune  ?  Are  the  attributes  of 
the  Almighty  more  comprehensible  or  more  striking,  when 
they  are  parcelled  out  into  three  divisions ;  the  Father's 
portion  being  mainly  wrath,  the  Son's  portion  being 
mainly  mercy,  and  the  Holy  Ghost's  business  being 


310  ONE  RELIGION :  MANY  CREEDS. 

mainly  that  of  a  medium?  We  think  they  are  not.  We 
can  understand  why  it  was,  in  Pagan  mythology,  that 
Cerberus,  the  dog  who  kept  the  gates  of  hell,  was  repre- 
sented with  three  heads.  Thereby  it  might  be  supposed 
that  his  ability  to  bark  and  bite  was  tripled.  But  that 
entry  through  the  gates  of  Heaven  should  also  be  guarded, 
as  it  were  by  a  triplex  ideal — that  conveys  through  it  a 
sense  of  weakness,  rather  than  of  strength — seems  to  us 
a  human  device  more  strange  and  more  unwarrantable. 
Yet  the  theologians  say  that  such  belief  is  indispensa- 
ble to  salvation,  and  that  salvation  is  at  once  secured  by 
it.  This  involves  the  idea  that  a  transcendant  change 
takes  place  in  every  new  convert  from  a  belief  in  one 
God  to  a  belief  in  three  Gods,  from  the  moment  of  imbib- 
ing the  new  notion ;  and  this  is  the  turning-point  accord- 
ing to  them,  between  everlasting  bliss  and  perpetual  tor- 
ment. Carrying  out  this  view,  they  assume  a  position, 
which  we  deem  inconsistent  with  the  teaching  of  Jesus 
himself,  who  is  claimed  as  the  basis  of  their  creed.  It 
is  that — however  barren  of  good  works  a  man's  life  and 
conduct  may  have  been,  or  however  vicious  he  may  have 
been  up  to  the  last  hour  of  his  existence — at  this  latest 
moment  a  belief  in  Jesus  being  God  and  Redeemer  acts 
as  an  infallible  passport  to  Heaven.  Now,  this  is  tanta- 
mount to  a  belief,  that  entertaining  a  bare  idea  for  a  few 
moments  suffices  to  ensure  eternal  happiness,  in  despite 
of  a  life  of  sin,  while  a  life  of  well-doing,  without  the 
entertainment  of  this  idea,  is  counted  but  as  dross,  and 
cannot  save.  We  say,  on  the  contrary,  such  promptings 
of  the  human  heart,  as  are  implanted  by  God,  though 
still  under  man's  free  control,  tend  exclusively  to  train 
him  to  good  works  as  between  man  and  man.  Shall  then 
the  merit  of  a  virtuous  and  useful  life  be  made  to  hinge 


NO   GOOD   RESULTS  FROM  THIS   BELIEF.       31 1 

upon  credence  in  a  certain  number  of  Gods  ?  Shall  what 
is  meritorious  to-day,  be  damnable  to-morrow  and  vice 
versa  f  It  is  indisputable,  that  individuals  are  constantly 
shifting,  from  one  side  of  this  question  to  the  other, 
which  involves,  according  to  Christian  theology,  that  the 
individual,  so  often  as  he  may  change,  becomes  instantly 
blessed  or  cursed,  a  saint  or  devil,  a  meet  personage  for 
Heaven  or  for  Hell.  And  here  it  may  be  said  in  passing, 
that  we  agree  with  Jesus,  who  implies  that  Heaven  and 
Hell  are  in  men's  consciences,  and  as  applicable  to  this 
side  of  the  grave  as  to  the  other.  In  Matthew,  xii.  28, 
he  says  :  "  The  Kingdom  of  God  is  come  unto  you  ;" 
arlH  in  Luke,  xvii.  21 — he  speaks  more  strongly  still : 
"Behold  the  Kingdom  of  God  is  within  you."  If  this  be 
so,  and  if  the  difference  of  the  beliefs  in  question  works 
the  momentous  difference  that  theologians  maintain,  it  is 
past  comprehension  why  it  does  not  exhibit  itself  in  a 
way  not  to  be  mistaken,  between  the  conduct  and  condi- 
tion of  those  espousing  the  two  sides  respectively.  Why 
is  the  visible  state  of  the  individual  the  same  when  he 
enjoys  Heaven  by  virtue  of  belief  in  the  Trinity,  and 
when  he  is  transferred  thence  to  Hell  as  a  consequence  of 
his  belief  in  the  one  God  Jehovah  only  ?  Again,  if  it  be 
suggested  that  Jesus'  mode  of  salvation,  which  is  by  good 
works,  and  the  church's  mode,  which  is  by  faith  alone  in 
Jesus,  may  be  used  in  conjunction,  we  say  that  this 
betrays  a  suspicion  that  the  church  may  be  wrong,  and 
consequently  that  both  may  be  wrong.  To  make  this 
appear  more  absurd,  let  us  place  them  once  more  one 
against  the  other.  Jesus  claims  that  on  his  mode  of 

o 

salvation  hangs  all  the  law  and  the  prophets,  and  that 
it  is  the  only  and  all-sufficient  one.  The  church  claims 
that  their  mode  of  salvation  is  the  only  one  given  under 


312  ONE  RELIGION:  MANY  CREEDS. 

Heaven,  whereby  men  may  be  saved,  and  that  it  is  con- 
sequently all-sufficient.  Now,  two  all-sufficient  and  only 
modes  of  salvation  combined  are  superfluous  and  ridiculous. 

It  has  been  observed  by  a  writer,  often  quoted,  and 
from  whom  much  is  borrowed  in  this  instance,  that 
Jesus  sought  in  every  way  to  establish  as  a  principle  that 
his  Apostles  were  as  himself. — Matthew,  x.  40,  42 ;  xxv. 
45  ;  Mark,  ix.  40 ;  Luke,  x.;  John,  xiii.  20.  It  was 
believed  that  he  had  communicated  all  the  marvellous 
virtues  to  them,  which  he  claimed  to  have  been  delegated 
to  him. 

They  prophesied  and  cast  out  demons,  although  certain 
cases  were  beyond  their  power. — Matthew,  xvii.  18,  ?9. 
They  also  wrought  cures,  either  by  the  imposition  of 
hands,  or  by  the  anointing  with  oil. — Mark,  vi.  13 ; 
James,  v.  14  ;  one  of  the  fundamental  processes  of  Orien- 
tal medicine.  Lastly,  like  the  Psylli  of  old,  or  like  cer- 
tain Bengalese  of  our  day,  they  could  handle  serpents ; 
and  they  could  drink  deadly  potions  with  impunity. — 
Mark,  xvi.  18  ;  Luke,  x.  19.  But,  whilst  with  the  lapse 
of  time  all  this  pretence  of  supernatural  power  becomes 
more  and  more  repugnant  to  our  perceptions  of  truth, 
there  is  no  doubt  that  it  was  generally  received  by  the 
primitive  Church,  that  it  held  an  important  place  in  the 
estimation  of  the  world  around,  and  -that  without  it  the 
Christian  theology  would  never  have  existed.  Charla- 
tans, as  generally  happens,  took  advantage  of  this  move- 
ment of  popular  credulity.  Even  in  the  lifetime  of  Jesus, 
many,  without  being  his  disciples,  cast  out  demons  in  his 
name.  The  true  disciples  were  much  displeased  at  this, 
and  sought  to  prevent  them.  But  Jesus,  no  doubt,  saw 
that  it  was  better  policy  not  to  interfere  with  them. — 
Mark,  ix,  38,  39;  Luke,  ix.  49,  50.  It  must  be  observed, 


WORKING  OF  MIRACLES.  313 

moreover,  that  the  exercise  of  these  claimed  gifts  had 
to  some  degree  become  a  trade.  Carrying  the  logic  of 
absurdity  to  the  extreme,  certain  men  pretended  to  cast 
out  in  the  name  of  Beelzebub,  the  prince  of  demons. 

They  assumed  that  this  sovereign  of  the  infernal  regions 
must  have  entire  authority  over  his  subordinates,  and  that 
in  acting  through  him  they  were  more  likely  to  make  the 
intruding  spirit  depart. — Matthew,  xii.  24,  28.  Some 
even  sought  to  buy  from  the  disciples  of  Jesus  the  secret 
of  the  miraculous  powers,  which  had  been  confided  to 
them. — Acts,  viii.  18,  19.  This  shows  that  there  were 
those  of  that  day,  who  esteemed  these  pretended  miracles 
as  but  an  ingenious  trick,  which  might  be  performed  by 
any  one  who  was  instructed  in  the  mode  and  manner  of 
effecting  them. 

It  was  only  after  the  death  of  Jesus,  that  particular 
Christian  churches  were  established;  and  they  were  con- 
stituted purely  and  simply  on  the  model  of  the  synagogue. 
Nor  did  they  draw  within  their  folds  all  those  who  had 
been  more  or  less  intimately  associated  with  Jesus  in  per- 
son. Joseph  of  Arimathea,  Lazarus,  Mary  Magdalen, 
and  Nicodemus  did  not,  it  seems,  become  members  of 
these  churches,  clinging  in  preference  to  the  tender  and 
respectful  recollections  which  tfyey  had  individually  pre- 
served of  him. 

It  is  to  be  observed,  also,  that  there  is  no  trace  in  the 
teaching  of  Jesus,  of  an  apparent  canonical  law,  ever  so 
slightly  defined  by  him.  It  may  be  assumed,  on  the 
contrary,  that  the  idea  of  a  newly  written  code  and  arti- 
cles of  religious  faith,  could  never  have  been  entertained 
by  him,  for  he  deemed  the  true  record  to  be  inscribed  on 
men's  hearts  and  alreadv  transcribed  into  the  moral  com- 

v 

mandments  extant  in  the  Jewish  law.     Not  only  did  he 


314  ONE  RELIGION:  MANY  CREEDS. 

not  write ;  but  it  would  have  been  useless  and  adverse  to 
the  spirit  of  such  an  infant  sect  to  get  up  any  so-called 
sacred  books,  inasmuch  as  they  believed  themselves  to  be 
on  the  eve  of  the  great  final  catastrophe.  It  cannot  be 
too  often  repeated  that,  when  Jesus  speaks  of  his  kingdom 
as  not  being  of  this  world — John,  xxviii.  36 — he  means 
the  world  which  was  then,  and  is  now  inhabited  by  the 
human  race,  and  that  his  world  to  come  is  the  one 
described  in  2  Peter,  iii.  13 — in  these  words :  "Never- 
theless, we,  according  to  his  promise,  look  for  a  new 
heavens  and  a  new  earth,  wherein  dvvelleth  righteous- 
ness." The  first  Christian  generation  lived  almost 
entirely  upon  delusive  expectations  and  dreams.  They 
conceived  themselves  on  the  eve  of  seeing  the  then  world 
come  to  an  end ;  they  looked  for  a  new  one,  and  they 
regarded  as  useless  everything  which  only  served  to  pro- 
long the  then  state  of  things  upon  that  earth  wherein  they 
were  living.  Possession  of  property  was  interdicted. — 
Luke,  xiv.  33  ;  Acts,  iv.  32,  and  v.  1, 11.  Although  sev- 
eral of  these  disciples  were  married,  there  was  to  be  no 
more  marriage,  on  becoming  a  member  of  the  sect. — Mat- 
thew, xix.  10,  and  following.  The  celibate  was  greatly 
preferred  ;  even  in  marriage,  continence  was  recommended. 
Revelation,  xiv.  4.  At  one  time  the  Master  seems  to 
approve  of  those  who  should  mutilate  themselves,  in 
prospect  of  the  coining  kingdom. — Matthew,  xix.  12. 
Cessation  from  generating  one's  kind  was  sometimes  con- 
sidered as  a  sign  and  condition  of  fitness  for  the  impend- 
ing change. — Matthew,  xxii.  30 ;  Luke,  xxii.  35.  The 
rule  that  Jesus  sought  to  institute,  was  severe  in  the 
extreme'.  He  required  from  his  associates  a  complete 
detachment  from  the  ordinary  participation  and  interest 
in  worldly  matter,  in  absolute  devotion  to  his  work  of 


JESUS'  TEACHING  IMPRACTICABLE.     315 

evangelizing  the  world.  Jesus,  during  the  latter  part  of 
his  lifetime,  apparently  believed  that  the  impossible  could 
be  attempted  with  impunity.  He  made  no  concession  to 
necessity.  He  boldly  preached  war  against  nature,  and 
total  severance  from  ties  of  blood.  "Verily  I  say  unto 
you,"  said  he,  "  there  is  no  man  that  hath  left  house  or 
parents,  or  brethren,  or  wife,  or  children,  for  the  kingdom 
of  God's  sake,  who  shall  not  receive  manifold  more  in 
this  present  time,  and  in  the  world  to  come  life  everlast- 
ing." The  Kingdom  of  God  here  spoken  of,  is  the  king- 
dom to  be  established  upon  earth ;  and  the  world  to  come 
is  like  the  present  one,  but  in  a  regenerated  state.  His 
followers  were  not  to  carry  with  them  either  money  or 
provisions  for  the  way,  not  even  a  scrip  or  change  of 
raiment.  They  must  practice  absolute  poverty,  living  on 
alms  and  hospitality.  The  Father  would  send  them  his 
spirit  from  on  high,  which  would  become  the  principle  of 
all  their  acts,  the  director  of  their  thoughts,  and  their 
guide  through  the  world.  If  driven  from  any  town  they 
were  to  shake  the  dust  from  their  shoes,  declaring  always 
the  proximity  of  the  kingdom  of  God,  that  none  might 
plead  ignorance.  "Ye  shall  not  have  gone  over  the  cities 
of  Israel,"  added  he,  "  till  the  Son  of  man  be  come." 

In  his  severe  view  of  the  exigencies  of  religion,  Jesus 
went  so  far  as  to  abolish  all  natural  ties.  His  require- 
ments had  no  longer  any  rational  bounds.  Despising  the 
healthy  limits  of  man's  nature,  he  demanded  that  man 
should  exist  only  for  him,  that  man  should  love  him  alone. 
"If  any  man  come  to  me,"  said  he,  "and  hate  not  his 
father,  and  mother,  and  wife,  and  children,  and  brethren, 
and  sisters,  and  his  own  life  also,  he  cannot  be  my  dis- 
ciple."— Luke,  xiv.  26;  "So  likewise,  whoever  he  be  of 


316  ONE  RELIGION:   MANY  CREEDS. 

you,  that  forsaketh  not  all  that  he  hath,  he  cannot  be  my 
disciple." — Luke,  xiv.  33. 

Such  was  the  substance  of  the  public  teachings  of 
Jesus,  after  he  imbibed  the  visionary  idea  of  his  perpetual 
rule,  either  in  the  then  world,  or  in  the  new  world,  which 
he  predicted  would  speedily  come.  And  all  this  was 
demanded  by  him,  solely  for  the  sake  of  establishing  a 
belief  that  he  was  the  Messiah  predicted  by  the  ancient 
prophets,  to  reign  over  the  Jews  perpetually  upon  the 
earth.  The  harsh  and  gloomy  feelings  of  distaste  for  the 
world,  and  of  excessive  self-abnegation,  which  Jesus 
imposed  upon  himself  and  his  followers  in  his  later  days, 
withdrew  him  more  and  more,  out  of  the  pale  of  humanity. 
It  is  certain  that  this  idea  of  Jesus,  if  only  on  account  of 
the  celibacy  and  poverty  it  imposed,  could  not  be  carried 
out  in  practice.  Common  sense  revolts  at  such  extrava- 
gances ;  to  demand  the  impossible  is  a  mark  of  weakness 
and  delusion. 

We  may  easily  imagine  that  to  Jesus,  at  this  period  of 
his  life,  everything,  which  was  not  the  kingdom  of  God, 
according  to  his  idea  of  it,  had  absolutely  disappeared. 
He  was,  if  we  may  say  so,  totally  outside  of  nature ; 
family,  friendship,  country,  had  no  longer,  any  meaning 
for  him.  "  Think  not,"  said  he,  "  that  I  am  come  to  send 
peace  on  earth  :  I  came  not  to  send  peace,  but  a  sword. 
I  am  come  to'  set  man  at  variance  against  his  father,  and 
the  daughter  against  her  mother,  and  the  daughter-in-law 
against  her  mother-in-law.  And  a  man's  foe  shall  be 
they  of  his  own  household." — Matthew,  x.  34,  36  ;  Luke, 
xii.  51,  53.  "  I  am  come  to  send  fire  on  the  earth  ;  and 
what  will  I,  if  it  be  already  kindled  ?" — Luke,  xii.  49. — 
"  They  shall  put  you  out  of  the  synagogues,"  he  continued, 


JESUS'  TEACHING  IMPRACTICABLE.     317 

11  yea,  the  time  cometh  that  whosoever  killeth  you,  will 
think  that  he  doeth  God  service." — John,  xvi.  2. 

Sometimes  one  would  have  said  that  his  reason  was 
disturbed.  He  suffered  great  mental  anguish  and  agita- 
tion.— John  xii.  27.  The  great  vision  of  the  kingdom  of 
God,  which  he  fancied  he  was  to  establish,  glistening 
before  his  eyes,  bewildered  him.  His  disciples  at  times, 
thought  him  mad; — Mark,  iii.  21,  and  following.  His 
enemies  declared  him  to  be  possessed : — Mark,  iii.  22 ; 
John,  vii.  20;  viii.  48.  His  excessively  impassioned 
temperament  carried  him  incessantly  beyond  all  rational 
bounds.  At  this  later  period  he  disregarded  all  human 
systems  ;  and  his  work  not  addressing  itself  to  the  reason, 
that  which  he  most  imperiously  required  was  an  unques- 
tioning faith — faith  in  that  which  time  and  history  have 
demonstrated  to  have  been  visionary; — Matthew,  viii.  10; 
ix.  2,  22,  28,  29;  xvii.  19;  John,  vi.  29,  &c.  His  pre- 
vious gentleness  seemed  to  have  abandoned  him ;  he  was 
sometimes  harsh  and  capricious; — Matthew,  xvii.  16; 
Mark,  iii.  15,  18;  Luke,  viii.  45;  ix.  41.  His  disciples 
at  times,  did  not  understand  him,  and  experienced  in  his 
presence  a  feeling  akin  to  fear. — Mark,  iv.  40  ;  v.  15;  ix. 
31 ;  x.  32.  Sometimes  his  displeasure  at  the  slightest 
opposition  led  him  to  commit  acts  as  inexplicable  and 
absurd  as  cursing  a  fig  tree  because  it  did  not  bear  fruit 
out  of  season; — Mark,  xi.  12,  14,  20. 

His  struggle  for  the  ideal  against  the  real,  became  insup- 
portable. Contact  with  the  world  pained  and  revolted  him. 
Obstacles  irritated  him.  His  ideas  concerning  himself,  as 
the  Son  of  God,  became  disturbed,  inconsistent,  and  exag- 
gerated. The  fatal  law  which  condemns  all  impracticable 
ideas  to  decay,  so  soon  as  an  attempt  is  made  to  put  them 
into  operation,  applied  to  his.  But  even  during  the  early 


318  ONE  RELIGION:  MANY  CREEDS. 

part  of  the  public  ministry  of  Jesus,  and  while  his  mode 
and  manner  of  portraying  the  doctrines  enjoined  on  man. 
by  natural  religion,  was  in  many  respects  unsurpassed, 
there  was  in  his  teachings  a  want  of  consistency,  an 
absence  of  that  harmony  which  is  conspicuous  in  all 
things  which  are  unmistakably  of  God.  For  while  Jesus — 
the  God-Man,  as  the  Church  has  it — failed  to  act  perfectly 
his  part  as  a  man,  he  still  more  signally  failed  to  duly 
represent  God,  who,  according  to  Bible  record  says,  "  I 
am  the  Lord,  I  change  not;"  and  of  whom  Balaam  says, 
"  God  is  not  a  man,  that  he  should  lie."  The  Scriptures 
do  not  bear  out  this  claim  to  unchangeableness  and  infal- 
libility in  relation  to  Jesus.  Several  phases  of  character, 
or  functions  were  assumed  at  different  times  by  Jesus, 
during  the  few  years  of  his  public  ministry.  Each  of 
these  offices  or  missions  was  totally  inconsistent  with  the 
others,  as  we  shall  show. 

Jesus  claimed  in  the  first  place,  that  his  mission  was 
to  lead  or  point  all  men  by  his  teaching,  to  everlasting 
happiness  beyond  the  grave ;  in  the  second  place,  he 
claimed  to  be  the  Messiah  appointed  by  God  to  rule  man- 
kind upon  this  earth,  whereon  all  men  were  to  live  for- 
ever ;  thirdly,  he  claimed  to  be  destined  to  rule  everlast- 
ingly, in  person  and  in  the  flesh,  over  the  whole  human, 
race,  all  of  whom  were  to  be  righteous  and  happy,  upon 
a  new  earth,  to  be  substituted  for  the  present  one,  which 
was  to  be  destroyed  by  fire.  Now  Jesus'  first  claim,  that 
his  teaching  pointed  to  'everlasting  happiness  beyond  the 
grave,  is  inconsistent  with  his  second  claim,  which  involved 
that  no  man,  after  the  kingdom  of  God  was  established 
under  him,  was  to  die  or  pass  the  grave.  His  third 
assumption,  which  involved  the  destruction  of  our  present 
earth,  and  a  continued  existence  on  this  side  of  the  grave, 


JESUS'   CODE  VISIONARY.  319 

is  alike  inconsistent  with  his  first  assumptions,  inasmuch 
as  teaching  the  way  to  happiness  heyond  the  grave  to  a 
people,  who  were  never  to  pass  the  grave,  would  be  out 
of  place ;  and  also,  inasmuch  as  he  could  not  possibly 
rule  as  the  Messiah  contemplated  on  this  earth,  since  the 
earth  was  doomed  to  destruction.  Now  it  is  plain  that 
any  one  of  these  positions  beitig  accepted  as  true,  stamps 
the  others  as  false.  God  cannot  be  false  to  Himself;  he 
cannot  be  one  manner  of  Being  to-day  and  another  to- 
morrow. As  regards  their  fitness  to  the  ordinary  duties 
and  relations  of  life  and  society,  it  may  be  noticed  further 
that  many  of  the  doctrines  of  Jesus  are  irrational  and 
altogether  impracticable. 

God,  according  to  Moses  and  the  Church,  tells  us  on  the 
authority  of  Paul's  Epistle  to  Timothy,  that  "all  Scrip- 
ture is  given  by  inspiration  of  God,"  and  that,  conse- 
quently, we  must  have  faith  in  Moses'  announcements. 
God,  we  say,  put  man  into  Paradise  "to  dress  and  keep  " 
the  garden  of  Eden ;  and  this,  be  it  observed,  before  man 
had  been  doomed  to  labor  in  the  sweat  of  his  brow.  But 
Jesus,  after  this  so-called  curse  had  been  affixed  upon 
humanity,  inculcated  a  manner  of  living  entirely  at  vari- 
ance with  its  existence.  Men  were  to  take  no  thought — 
not  undue  thought,  but  no  thought  whatever — as  to  their 
means  of  subsistence.  If  smitten  on  one  cheek,  they 
were  to  turn  the  other  cheek  to  the  smiter.  If  robbed  of 
their  coats,  they  were  to  give  up  their  cloaks  also.  Never 
gaining  or  acquiring,  they  were  to  give  and  lend  without 
stint.  They  were  not  to  pay  even  funeral  rites  to  the 
dead,  in  the  urgency  of  their  haste  to  follow  after  Jesus. 
They  were,  for  the  same  end,  to  give  up  their  natural 
affections  toward  father,  mother,  wife,  and  child,  im- 
planted in  man  from  the  first,  and  shared  in  part  by  the 


320  ONE  RELIGION:  MANY  CREEDS. 

very  beasts  of  the  field.  As  to  occupations,  livelihood, 
trade,  industry,  art,  science,  learning,  the  embellishments 
of  life,  and  the  duties  of  man  as  a  citizen — all  these  mat- 
ters are  entirely  ignored,  or  are  dismissed  contemptuously 
as  not  worth  thought  or  care. 

How  full  of  misery  the  world  would  have  become,  if 
these  injunctions  had  been  obeyed,  how  starving  and 
utterly  forlorn,  it  is  needless  to  point  out.  But,  without 
dwelling  upon  the  visionary  tendencies  of  Jesus'  code  in 
general,  it  cannot  be  inappropriate  to  remark  how  slightly 
in  these  respects  it  has  bound  his  followers.  The  name  of 
Jesus  is  forever  in  their  mouths  ;  but  they  have  wandered, 
it  must  be  owned,  very  far  from  his  teachings.  If  he 
varied  thrice  in  his  own  promulgated  views  as  to  his  mis- 
sion and  purposes,  they  by  way  of  a  fourth  variation  have 
saddled  him  with  the  dogma  of  spiritual  salvation  through 
sacrifice  of  himself.  If  he  preached  poverty  and  self- 
abnegation,  their  church  has  sought  power  and  accumu- 
lated wealth,  while  they  as  individuals  have  entered  with 
full  ardor  and  much  success  upon  the  multifarious  pursuits 
of  man. 

Having  thus  shown,  as  we  conceive,  that  Jesus — whom 
the  Church  adores  as  perfect  God  and  perfect  Man — was 
neither  a  worthy  representative  of  God's  majestic  attri- 
butes, nor  a  fitting  type  of  man  under  the  various  rela- 
tions of  life  and  under  the  nature  which  God  has  stamped 
upon  him,  we  ask  what  the  conclusion  must  be.  Who 
shall  say  that  God's  representation  of  Himself  through- 
out the  entire  universe,  and  his  impress  upon  broad 
humanity,  are  not  the  true  ones  under  which  to  live  and 
die? 

It  is  probable  that  the  reported  raising  of  Lazarus  from 
death  contributed  sensibly  to  hasten  the  death  of  Jesus,  as 


THE   ARREST  OF  JESUS.  321 

is  shown  in  the  latter  part  of  the  llth  chapter  of  John's 
Gospel.  The  disciples  related  the  fact,  with  details  as  to 
its  performance,  prepared  in  expectation  of  controversy. 
The  other  miracles  of  Jesus  were  transitory  acts,  spon- 
taneously accepted  by  faith,  and  exaggerated  by  popular 
fame,  and  were  not  often  referred  to  after  they  had  once 
taken  place.  This  raising  of  Lazarus  was  an  event  held 
to  be  publicly  notorious,  and  by  which  it  was  hoped  to 
silence  the  Pharisees.  The  enemies  of  Jesus  were  much 
irritated  at  all  this  fame;  and,  therefore,  a  council  of  the 
chief  priests  was  assembled,  and  in  that  council  the  ques- 
tion was  clearly  put:  "Can  Jesus  and  Judaism  exist 
together?"  To  raise  the  question  was  to  resolve  it;  the 
high  priest  could  easily  pronounce  his  cruel  axiom:  "It  is 
expedient  that  one  man  should  die  for  the  people."  The 
priests  saw,  in  the  excitement  created  by  Jesus,  the  prob- 
able overturning  of  the  Temple,  the  source  of  their  riches 
and  honors. — John,  xi.  48.  In  a  general  sense,  Jesus,  if 
he  had  succeeded  in  all  he  proposed,  would  have  really 
effected  the  ruin  of  the  Jewish  nation.  Hence  the  men 
of  order,  persuaded  that  it  was  essential  for  humanity  that 
the  existing  belief  should  not  be  disturbed,  felt  themselves 
bound  to  prevent  the  new  spirit  from  extending  itself. 
But  never  was  seen  a  more  striking  example  of  how  much 
such  a  course  of  procedure  defeats  its  own  object.  Left 
free,  Jesus  would  have  exhausted  himself  in  a  desperate 
struggle  with  the  impossible.  The  unintelligent  hate  of 
his  enemies,  resulting  in  his  persecution  and  death,  con- 
tributed to,  or  was  in  reality  an  incident  without  which 
he  never  would  have  obtained  the  notoriety  that  has 
pertained  in  relation  to  him.  The  death  of  Jesus  being 
resolved  upon, — Matt.,  xxvi.  15  :  Mark,  xvi.  1,  2:  Luke, 
xxii,  1,  2, — to  escape  from  arrest,  he  withdrew  to  an 
21 


322  ONE  RELIGION:  MANY  CREEDS. 

obscure  town  called  Ephraim,  or  Ephron,  in  the  direction 
of  Bethel,  a  short  day's  journey  from  Jerusalem. — John, 
xi.  54.  It  seems  that  about  this  time  the  apprehensions 
of  Jesus  that  his  life  was  in  jeopardy  took  hold  of  his  dis- 
ciples. All  felt  that  a  very  serious  danger  threatened  the 
Master,  and  that  they  were  approaching  a  crisis.  At  one 
time  Jesus  thought  of  precautions,  and  spoke  of  swords. 
There  were  two  in  the  company.  "It  is  enough,"  said 
he. — Luke,  xxii.  36,  38.  He  did  not,  however,  follow 
out  this  idea,  seeing  clearly  that  timid  provincials  would 
not  stand  before  the  armed  force  of  the  great  powers  of 
Jerusalem.  There  was,  however,  some  show  of  resistance 
on  the  part  of  the  disciples  on  the  occasion  of  the  arrest 
of  Jesus.  One  of  them — Peter,  according  to  an  eye  wit- 
ness :  John,  xviii.  10, — drew  his  sword  and  cut  off  the  ear 
of  one  of  the  servants  of  the  high  priest,  named  Malchus. 
Jesus  restrained  this  opposition,  seeing  the  impossibility 
of  effectual  resistance,  especially  against  authorities  who 
had  so  much  prestige ;  and  he  was  accordingly  captured. 
It  thus  appears  that  instead  of  Jesus  having  volunteered 
to  become  a  sacrifice  for  sin,  according  to  the  Christian 
theology,  he  avoided  being  arrested  and  crucified  to  the 
extent  of  his  ability.  Jesus'  seeming  anticipations  of  his 
violent  death,  whether  by  crucifixion  or  otherwise,  may 
well  have  been  the  result  of  his  having  laid  claim  to  the 
Messiahship,  and  not  the  result  of  any  supernatural  fore- 
knowledge, or  of  any  voluntary  offering  of  himself  as  a 
ransom  for  the  sins  of  the  world.  He  was  aware,  from 
current  events,  that  whoever  set  up  a  claim  to  the  Mes- 
siahship put  his  life  in  jeopardy ;  and,  being  an  enthu- 
siast in  common  with  others  of  his  time,  he  did  not  hesi- 
tate so  to  risk  it.  Thus  he  might  naturally  predict  that 
it  would  be  the  forfeit  of  his  course ;  and  this  is  the  more 


HIS   CRUCIFIXION.  323 

likely,  inasmuch  as  John  was  put  to  death  by  Herod  for 
having,  as  is  vaguely  suggested  by  Josephus,  entered  into 
the  politics  of  the  times.  This  view  is  further  corrobo- 
rated by  the  frequent  allusions  of  the  Evangelists  to 
Jesus'  reasons  for  moving  from  place  to  place.  Occasion- 
ally the  cause  assigned  is  a  trivial  one,  such  as  the  incon- 
venient pressure  of  the  multitude  upon  him.  Sometimes, 
also,  the  movement  is  recorded  as  a  simple  matter  of  fact. 
But — until  longer  escape  was  impossible — the  mention 
of  any  danger  immediately  threatening  the  life  or  liberty 
of  Jesus  was  surely  followed  by  a  prudent  retreat.  John 
the  Baptist  was  beheaded  ;  "  when  Jesus  heard  of  it  he 
departed  thence  by  ship  into  a  desert  place  apart." — Mat- 
thew, xiv.  13.  The  priests  plotted  against  him;  "after 
these  things  Jesus  walked  in  Galilee ;  for  he  would  not 
walk  in  Jewry,  because  the  Jews  sought  to  kill  him." — 
John,  vii.  1.  They  took  up  stones  to  cast  at  him;  "but 
Jesus  hid  himself,  and  went  out  of  the  temple,  goinfg 
through  the  midst  of  them,  and  so  passed  by." — John, 
vii.  59.  "They  sought  again  to  take  him,"  says  St. 
John  in  his  10th  chapter,  verse  39 ;  and  he  adds,  "  but 
he  escaped  out  of  their  hands." 

Now,  although  we  are  told  by  the  Church,  and  anathe- 
matized if  we  don't  believe  it,  that  Jesus  volunteered  to 
die  upon  the  cross,  we  must  repeat  that  the  Bible  record 
proves  precisely  the  reverse.  If  his  zeal  sustained  and 
bore  him  onwards  until  drawn  within  the  fatal  circle  of 
events,  at  least  he  evaded  the  penalty  so  far,  and  as  often 
as  he  could  ;  while,  even  in  the  closing  scene,  it  is  diffi- 
cult to  find  any  marks  of  superhuman  power.  Had  it 
been  possible — we  speak  on  his  own  authority,  as  handed 
down  to  us  by  his  living  followers — lie  would  have  had 
the  last  agony  spared  him.  In  immediate  anticipation  of 


324  ONE  RELIGION:   MANY  CREEDS. 

a  cruel  death,  he  prayed  with  more  resignation  than  cour- 
age, Abba  Father,  all  things  are  possible  unto  thee ;  take 
away  this  cup  from  me:  nevertheless,  not  what  I  will, 
but  what  thou  wilt. — Mark,  xiv.  36.  On  the  cross  he 
uttered  the  words — inexplicable  if  we  put  faith  in  the 
Christian  theology:  "My  God,  my  God,  why  hast  thou 
forsaken  me?" — Mark,  xv.  34.  It  is  strange,  but  not  the 
less  true,  that  many  martyrs  to  the  faith  of  Jesus  have 
shown  a  holier  faith,  and  a  more  enduring  resolution,  than 
were  exhibited  by  their  Master,  the  Man-God  himself. 
And  as  there  was  nothing  supremely  heroic,  assuredly 
nothing  divine,  in  the  spirit  in  which  Jesus  encountered 
death,  nor  anything  uncommon  in  its  manner,  crucifixion 
being  an  ordinary  capital  punishment  in  those  days,  so  was 
there  nothing  unique  or  mysterious  in  its  apparent  cause. 

The  course  which  the  priests  had  resolved  to  take 
against  Jesus  was  quite  in.  conformity  with  their  own 
established  laws.  The  plan  of  the  enemies  of  Jesus  was 
to  convict  him  by  the  testimony  of  witnesses  who  had 
been  suborned,  and  by  his  own  avowals,  of  blasphemy, 
and  of  outrage  against  the  Mosaic  religion,  to  condemn 
him  to  death  according  to  law,  and  then  to  get  the  con- 
demnation sanctioned  by  Pilate. 

On  the  trial  of  Jesus,  the  fatal  sentence  which  he  had 
really  uttered :  "I  am  able  to  destroy  the  temple  of  God 
and  to  build  it  in  three  days,"  was  cited  by  two  wit- 
nesses. To  blaspheme  the  temple  of  God  was,  according 
to  the  Jewish  law,  to  blaspheme  God  Himself.  The 
sentence  was  predetermined,  and  they  only  sought  for 
pretexts.  Jesus  felt  this,  and  did  not  undertake  a  useless 
defence.  In  the  light  of  orthodox  Judaism,  he  was  truly 
a  blasphemer,  a  destroyer  of  the  established  worship  ;  and 
the  law  punished  such  a  criminal  with  death.  With  one 


JESUS'   CHARACTER.  325 

voice,  therefore,  the  assembly  declared  him  guilty  of  a 
capital  crime ;  and  Pilate's  ratification  of  the  condemna- 
tion pronounced  by  the  Sanhedrim  was  obtained,  but  not 
without  some  reluctance  on  his  part.  In  his  eyes,  it  is 
tolerably  evident,  Jesus  was  an  inoffensive  dreamer.  But 
he  no  doubt  feared  that  too  much  indulgence  shown  to  a 
prisoner,  to  whom  was  given  the  title  of  the  "King  of 
the  Jews,"  and  who  claimed  to  be  the  Messiah,  might 
compromise  him.  He  could  scarcely  have  acted  otherwise 
than  he  did.  It  was  then  neither  Tiberius  nor  Pilate 
that  condemned  Jesus.  It  was  the  old  Jewish  party.  It 
was  the  Mosaic  Law.  Now,  it  is  beyond  question  that 
Jesus  attacked  this  worship  and  aspired  to  destroy  it. 
The  Jews  expressed  this  to  Pilate  with  a  truthful  sim- 
plicity :  "  We  have  a  law,  and  by  our  law  he  ought  to 
die." 

The  fate  of  Jesus  was,  therefore,  the  natural  fate  of  a 
religious  reformer,  in  a  cruel  age,  and  among  a  fanatical 
people.  And  it  made  a  very  slight,  a  scarcely  perceptible 
sensation.  In  this  it  resembled  his  life.  The  life  of 
Jesus  was  passed  entirely  in  the  restricted  world  in  which 
he  was  born.  During  his  life  he  was  never  heard  of  in 
Greek  or  Roman  countries.  His  name  appears  only  in 
profane  authors  of  a  hundred  years  later,  and  then  only 
in  an  indirect  manner,  as  in  Tacitus  and  Josephus,  in  con- 
nection with  seditious  movements  provoked  by  his  doc- 
trine, or  persecutions  of  which  his  disciples  were  the 
object.  The  essential  work  of  Jesus  was  to  create  around 
him  a  circle  of  disciples  whom  he  inspired  with  boundless 
affection.  His  doctrine  was  so  little  dogmatic,  that  he 
never  thought  of  writing  it  or  of  causing  it  to  be  written. 
Men  did  not  become  his  disciples,  by  believing  this  thing 
or  that  thing,  but  in  being  attached  to  his  person  and  in 


326  ONE  RELIGION:  MANY  CREEDS. 

loving  him.  A  few  sentences  collected  from  memory  and 
especially  the  type  of  character  he  set  forth,  and  the 
impression  he  had  left,  were  what  remained  of  him. 
Jesus  was  not  a  founder  of  dogmas,  or  a  maker  of  creeds. 
His  power  over  the  hearts  of  men  consisted  in  his  preach- 
ing the  religion  of  the  heart  and  conscience,  to  which 
Church  theologies  and  dogmas  have  since  been  added  and 
placed  in  the  foreground,  while  Jesus  crucified  is  the 
burden  of  pulpit  oratory,  to  the  exclusion  of  God. 

If  any  one  thing  is  conclusively  established  in  the 
New  Testament,  it  is  that  Jesus  and  his  disciples  were 
possessed  with  the  idea  of  a  coming  Kingdom  of  God, 
changing  the  whole  aspect  of  the  world  and  its  affairs. 
Their  ideas,  even  Jesus'  own  ideas,  as  to  what  this  King- 
dom was  to  be  and  when  it  was  to  come,  varied  con- 
siderably at  various  periods ;  but  it  was  ever  present  to 
his  mind  and  theirs  in  some  shape,  and  its  proclamation 
was  reiterated  over  and  over  again.  The  Evangelists 
record  how  Jesus  announced  it  with  a  fullness  of  detail, 
and  a  splendor  of  phrase,  that  captivates  all  that  is  imagi- 
native in  human  nature.  There  is  to  be  an  abomination 
of  desolation ;  and  the  sun  is  to  be  darkened,  and  the 
moon  is  to  give  her  light  no  longer,  and  the  stars  are  to 
fall  from  heaven  ;  and  the  Son  of  Man  is  to  come  seated 
on  the  clouds,  and  surrounded  by  angels,  with  power  and 
great  glory,  and  the  Elect  are  to  be  gathered  together  at 
the  sound  of  a  trumpet ;  and  the  King  is  to  pass  judgment 
on  a  multitudinous  assemblage  from  every  corner  of  the 
earth,  calling  the  righteous  into  many  mansions  standing 
ready  for  them,  and  casting  the  wicked  out  into  everlast- 
ing fire  prepared  for  the  devil  and  his  angels.  The 
Apostles  continue  to  foretell  this  coming  of  the  Kingdom ; 
but,  warned  by  the  failure  of  their  Master's  prediction  as 


THE  PROPHECIES  IN   REVELATIONS.  327 

to  the  time  of  its  coming,  are  more  reticent  as  to  particu- 
lars, and  less  distinct  in  limiting  the  advent  to  the  life- 
time of  any  person  or  persons.  In  saying,  however,  that 
the  Apostles,  so  far  as  we  know,  were  neither  expansive 
nor  precise  in  dealing  with  this  theme,  we  naturally 
except  St.  John.  He  indeed,  in  his  magnificent  rhapsody 
that  bears  the  august  name  of  "  Revelation,"  may  be 
said  to  make  amends  for  their  short-coming.  He  is 
strangely  precise,  especially  in  naming  three  years  and  a 
half  for  the  duration  of  the  world  as  it  was,  in  his  curious 
arithmetical  calculation  of  the  one  hundred  and  forty-four 
thousand  chosen  ones  of  the  house  of  Israel,  and  in  his 
sealing  up  Satan  in  the  bottomless  pit  for  an  exact  period 
of  one  thousand  years — as  though  the  Almighty  took 
pleasure  in  round  numbers,  and  as  though  damnation 
through  all  eternity  was  not  a  prominent  feature  in  the 
perverted  creed  that  grew  out  of  Jesus'  doctrines.  On 
the  other  hand,  how  lofty  are  his  imaginings !  How 
marvellous  a  compound  of  the  grand  and  the  terrific ! 
How  they  pass  in  bewildering,  yet  fascinating,  succession 
before  us — the  seven  mystic  candlesticks,  and  the  sea  of 
glass,  and  the  beasts  full  of  eyes  before  and  behind,  and 
the  golden  vials  full  of  odors,  which  are  the  prayers  of  the 
Saints,  and  Death  on  the  pale  horse,  and  the  locusts  like 
unto  horses  prepared  for  battle,  with  the  hair  of  women 
and  the  faces  of  men  and  the  tails  of  scorpions,  and  the 
great  red  dragon,  and  the  angels  pouring  out  the  vials  of 
God's  distilled  wrath,  and  the  great  city  with  its  walls  of 
jasper  and  gates  of  pearls  and  foundations  of  sapphire, 
chrysolite,  topaz,  and  all  kinds  of  jewels !  A  magnificent 
and  fantastic  poein  is  all  this,  we  may  well  allow ;  but,  if 
asked  what  connection  it  has  with  the  practical  teaching 
of  Jesus,  who  condensed  religion  into  two  short  and 


328  ONE  RELIGION  :  MANY  CREEDS. 

simple  dogmas,  which  it  is  needless  to  repeat  here,  we 
should  be  compelled  to  turn  to  the  clergy  for  an  answer. 
They  would  tell  us,  probably,  that  "all  Scripture  is  given 
by  inspiration  of  God,  and  is  profitable  for  doctrine,  for 
reproof,  for  correction,  for  instruction  in  righteousness;" 
and  would  bemoan  our  inability  to  perceive  the  force  of 
this  remark  from  the  pen  of  a  man  who  is  placed  by 
theologians  in  the  position  of  a  writer  reviewing  his  own 
works.  They  might  point  out,  furthermore,  how  the 
scholarship  and  research  of  learned  commentators  had 
proved  that  certain  parts  of  the  apocalyptic  vision  eluci- 
dated and  tallied  with  certain  parts  of  the  prophetic 
visions  abounding  in  the  Old  Testament.  But  we  confess 
that  our  doubts  as  to  the  divine  inspiration  or  intrinsic 
worth  of  this  Revelation  would  not  hereby  be  greatly 
diminished,  while  doubts  would  be  suggested  as  to  studied 
effort,  on  the  part  of  St.  John  to  make  the  old  and  new 
correspond. 

It  is  to  be  observed,  also,  that  not  only  were  Jesus  and 
his  immediate  followers  mistaken  as  to  the  manner  in 
which,  and  the  exact  time  at  which,  this  promised  King- 
dom was  to  come — it  has  never  come  at  all,  though  it  is 
confidently  declared  from  pulpit  to  pulpit  that  not  one  jot 
or  tittle  of  Scripture  can  fail.  If,  therefore,  they  were 
all  mistaken  on  this  point,  is  it  not  equally  clear  that 
theologians  must  be  mistaken  in  declaring  Jesus  to  be 
the  Messiah  ?  This  precludes  the  idea  of  his  being  the 
Saviour.  Jesus  lived  upon  earth ;  so  much  we  know. 
But  he  certainly  never  sat  upon  the  throne  of  David ; 
neither  did  he  burn  up  the  world  and  hold  its  gathered 
inhabitants  to  judgment. 

The  truth  is,  this  breaking  down,  this  crumbling  away, 
of  the  Kingdom  of  God  as  pr6mised,  drives  us  back  to  a 


THE   KINGDOM  OF  GOD  IN  THE  SOUL.         329 

point,  to  which  we  have  already  adverted — in  effect,  to 
the  Kingdom  of  God  which  exists  within  every  human 
soul.  And  it  was  to  this,  in  our  belief,  that  Jesus  occa- 
sionally referred  in  his  earlier  discourses,  before  his  sense 
of  man's  need  of  spiritual  affinity  with  his  Maker  had 
been  disturbed  *and  then  thrown  into  the  back-ground,  by 
his  enlarged  and  yet  erroneous  ideas  concerning  his  own 
proper  mission — concerning  his  temporal  rule  in  the  first 
place,  and  subsequently  his  new  heaven  and  new  earth. 
This,  at  least,  may  be  said :  it  is  as  true  for  us  as  for 
Jesus'  actual  hearers,  that  this  inner  Kingdom  is  already 
established  within  us,  nay,  is  part  of  our  very  nature, 
though  we  may  fail  to  comprehend  it.  It  is  for  us  to 
look  to  it,  that  neither  tradition,  nor  superstition,  nor  an 
indolent  assent  to  prevailing  dogmas,  clogs  our  under- 
standing in  this  matter.  It  is  for  us  to  determine  how 
soon  we  shall  free  ourselves  from  all  that  is  irrational, 
and  obscure,  and  fluctuating  and  contradictory  in  theology. 
It  is  easy  for  us  at  any  moment  and  without  aid  of  priest, 
or  temple,  or  code,  or  teaching,  to  recognize  as  all  sufficient 
that  first  and  only  true  religion,  which  was  implanted  in 
man  before  any  creeds  were  concocted,  and  will  survive 
in  him  as,  one  after  another,  their  false  claims  to  divine 
origin  are  exposed. 

Jesus  said  unto  his  disciples,  "  It  is  not  ye  that  speak, 
but  the  spirit  of  your  Father  which  speaketh  in  you." — 
Matthew,  x.  20. 

"  The  words  I  speak  unto  you,  I  speak  not  of  myself: 
but  the  Father  that  dwelleth  in  me,  he  doeth  the  work." — 
John,  xiv.  10. 

"  For  I  have  not  spoken  of  myself,  but  the  Father 
which  sent  me,  he  gave  me  a  commandment  what  I 
should  say  and  what  I  should  speak." — John,  xii.  49. 


330  ONE  RELIGION:  MANY  CREEDS. 

These  quotations  furnish  direct  evidence  that  Jesus 
places  himself  precisely  on  the  same  footing  with  his  dis- 
ciples, with  regard  to  God  being  both  their,  and  his 
Father ;  consequently,  Jesus  and  his  disciples  were  alike 
the  sons  of  God.  And  when  he  says  that  both  he  and 
the  disciples  speak  not  of  themselves,  but  are  only  the 
mouth-piece  and  instruments  of  God,  to  speak  His  mind, 
it  follows  likewise,  that  Jesus  and  the  disciples  stand  in 
the  same  relation  to  God,  with  regard  to  those  traits  and 
functions  of  character  and  office,  that  distinguish  each  in 
common,  and  in  which  they  were  all  engaged.  This  will 
be  seen  to  be  the  case  more  especially  from  the  following 
texts  which  describe  them  to  be  all  alike  equally  endowed 
by  God  to  work  miracles. 

Jesus  said  unto  his  disciples,  "And  these  signs  shall 
follow  them  that  believe ;  in  my  name  shall  they  cast  out 
devils;  they  shall  speak  with  new  tongues."  "They 
shall  take  up  serpents  ;  and  if  they  drink  any  deadly 
thing,  it  shall  not  hurt  them  ;  they  shall  lay  hands  on 
the  sick,  and  they  shall  recover." — Mark,  xvi.  17,  18. 
If  in  answer  to  this  it  is  objected  that  the  difference 
between  the  ability  of  Jesus,  and  that  of  his  disciples,  to 
heal  the  sick,  and  work  miracles,  is  that  Jesus  and  not 
God,  gave  power  to  the  "latter,  the  objection  is  answered 
by  Jesus  himself,  in  the  following  terms:  "The  words  I 
speak  unto  you,  I  speak  not  of  myself  but  the  Father 
that  dwelleth  in  me,  he  doeth  the  work." — John,  xiv.  10. 

And  in  his  own  case,  does  he  not  acknowledge,  by 
thankfulness,  that  it  was  his  Father,  and  not  himself, 
who  raised  Lazarus  from  the  dead.  "And  Jesus  lifted 
up  his  eyes  and  said,  Father,  I  thank  thee  that  thou  hast 
heard  me" — John,  xi.  41 — which  shows  that  the  miracle, 
if  miracle  it  was,  was  worked  by  God,  and  not  by  Jesus. 


THE  APOSTLES   EQUAL    TO   JESUS.  331 

And  did  not  Martha,  one  of  those  who  knew  him  best, 
and  whom  he  is  said  to  have  loved  above  ail  others, 
both  understand,  and  express  her  understanding  of  the 
matter,  by  saying  that  she  knew,  that  whatsoever  he 
were  to  ask  of  God,  God  would  give  it  to  him. — John, 
xi.  22.  And  does  not  Jesus'  silence  on  the  occasion, 
prove  equivalent  to  giving  assent  to  her  ideas  on  the 
subject?  The  miracle,  therefore,  if  wrought  at  all,  was 
wrought  by  God,  the  Father,  in  answer  to  the  prayer  of 
Jesus,  and  not  by  Jesus  himself,  in  his  own  strength. 
This  much  we  grant  for  the  strength  of  the  argument 
against  the  divinity  of  Jesus.  The  presumption  is,  how- 
ever, that  no  such  miracle  was  ever  wrought;  but  that 
the  whole  exhibition  was  gotten  up  to  strengthen  belief 
in  Jesus,  for  the  sake  of  furthering  his  interests  in  relation 
to  his  occupying  the  temporal  throne  of  the  Jews. 

But  again  we  have  shown  that  the  Apostles  were  equal 
to  Jesus,  in  all  the  qualities  above  enumerated,  and 
equality  with  God  was  never  claimed  for  them,  how  is  it 
then,  that  these  traits  in  the  character  of  Jesus  are  cited 
as  proofs  of  him  being  co-equal  with  God  the  Father? 
If  the  answer  is,  that  Jesus  on  his  own,  and  also  on  the 
authority  of  the  prophets,  claims  himself  to  have  been 
God,  have  we  not  shewn  also  that  such  a  view  as  this 
has  been  falsified  by  Jesus  himself,  where  he  in  various 
places  denies  such  a  claim,  either  directly  or  by  fair  impli- 
cation. And  as  to  the  authority  of  the  Prophets  on  this 
subject,  is  not  that  set  aside  by  their  palpable  errors,  in 
connecting  Jesus  with  the  expected  Messiah,  who  was  to 
be  the  temporal  ruler,  or  king  of  the  Jews,  which  he 
never  was?  Jesus  neither  claimed  nor  answered  to  the 
description  given,  of  the  expected  Messiah,  in  the  sense 
put  upon  it  by  the  Church.  Nor  could  he  have  been, 


332  ONE  RELIGION :   MANY  CREEDS. 

unless  he  was  co-equal  with  God,  which  he  disclaims  to 
have  been  again  and  again.  And  if  he  had  claimed  to 
be  co-equal  with  God,  he  says  himself,  "  If  I  bear  wit- 
ness of  myself,  my  witness  is  not  true." — John,  v.  31. 

Peter  declares;  "Neither  is  there  salvation  in  any 
other  for  there  is  none  other  name  under  heaven  given 
among  men,  whereby  we  must  be  saved." — Acts,  iv.  12. 

.But  is  Peter  a  competent  witness?  As  regards  his 
veracity  and  good  character,  does  he  stand  sufficiently 
fair  before  men  to  be  accredited  ?  Is  his  testimony  of 
much  weight,  under  these,  or  any  other  circumstances? 
Peter  made  a  false  assertion,  and  at  three  different  times 
repeated  it.  He  thrice  denied  that  he  had  any  know- 
ledge of  Jesus,  and  more  than  once,  on  his  oath.  His 
conduct  was  also  highly  censurable  and  dishonest  in  the 
transaction  wherein  he  procured,  (or  speciously  lent  him- 
self to  the  procuring,)  of  very  unreasonable  sums  of  money 
from  his  converts,  by  exciting  in  them  the  fear  of  instant 
death,  for  their  non-compliance  with  his  most  exorbitant 
demands  for  the  support  of  himself  and  his  associates. 
(See  an  account  of  his  conduct  in  this  respect,  in  another 
part  of  this  work.) 

Why,  the  unjustifiable  doings  of  Peter  so  incensed  even 
Jesus  himself,  that  he  was  constrained  to  administer  to 
him  a  rebuke,  which  for  its  severity,  exceeds  anything 
that  Jesus  ever  uttered  to  .him,  or  any  other  of  his  dis- 
ciples. "But  he  turned  and  said  unto  Peter,  Get  thee 
behind  me  Satan;  thou  art  an  offence  unto  me;  for  thou 
savorest  not  the  things  that  be  of  God,  but  those  that  be 
of  men." — Matthew,  xvi.  23. 

Now,  in  view  of  such  offences  as  these,  are  we  to  be 
asked  to  admit  his  testimony,  either  in  this,  or  any  other 
case?  If  he  would  lie,  and  cheat,  and  perjure  himself, 


GOD  THE  ONLY  SAVIOUR.  333 

•would  he  hesitate  to  do  all  in  his  power  to  advance  his 
own  interests  by  trying  to  persuade  others  to  believe  what 
he  did  not  believe  himself?  We  should  say,  he  would 
not.  He  may,  however,  and  probably  did,  have  reference 
to  Jesus  being  the  only  Saviour  of  the  Jews  from  physical 
bondage,  by  becoming  their  King.  If  he  did,  his  tes- 
timony is  more  reasonable,  and  therefore  more  credible; 
although  he  was  mistaken.  This  is  not  the  view  which 
Christian  theologians  take  of  it.  They  make  it  to  mean 
salvation  from  everlasting  torment  beyond  the  grave,  for 
original  and  actual  sin.  Peter's  probable  view  of  the 
subject,  untrue  as  it  was,  is  more  excusable  than  that  of 
the  theologians,  and  especially  when  such  texts  as  the 
following  are  taken  into  consideration:  "For  I  am  the 
Lord  thy  God,  the  Holy  One  of  Israel,  thy  Saviour: 
I  gave  Egypt  for  thy  ransom,  Ethiopia  and  Seba  for 
thee." — Isaiah,  xliii.  3.  "I,  even  I,  am  the  Lord;  and 
beside  me  there  is  no  /Saviour." — Isaiah,  xliii.  2.  "Tell 
ye  and  bring  them  near ;  yea,  let  them  take  counsel 
together;  who  hath  declared  this  from  ancient  time? 
who  hath  told  it  from  that  time  ?  have  not  I  the  Lord  ? 
and  there  is  no  God  else  beside  me,  a  just  God  and  a 
Saviour;  there  is  none  beside  me." — Isaiah,  xlv.  21. 
"Thou  shalt  also  suck  the  milk  of  the  Gentiles,  and  shalt 
suck  the  breasts  of  kings ;  and  thou  shalt  know  that  I 
the  Lord  am  thy  Saviour  and  thy  Redeemer,  the  mighty 
One  of  Jacob." — Isaiah,  Ix.  16.  "For  therefore,  we  both 
labor  and  suffer  reproach,  because  we  trust  in  the  living 
God,  who  is  the  Saviour  of  all  men,  specially  of  those 
that  believe."—!  Timothy,  iv.  10. 

Can  any  one  attempt,  seriously,  to  maintain  the  infalli- 
bility of  the  Bible,  and  the  divinity  of  Jesus  with  such 
unmistakable  and  glaring  contradictions  as  these  before 


334  ONE  RELIGION:  MANY  CREEDS. 

his  eyes?  And  these  are  but  the  thousandth  part  of 
similar  contradictions,  some  not  quite  perceivable  at  first 
glance,  but  equally  apparent  and  positive,  on  a  critical 
examination. 

All  men,  by  internal  and  external  evidence,  combined 
and  coming  immediately  from  God,  are  brought  to  the 
conviction  that  there  is  an  over-ruling  Intelligence — an 
infinite  Mind — which  is  the  author  and  governor  of  all 
things  and  beings,  including  man.  Man  only,  however, 
it  is  believed,  has  an  innate  sense  of  right  and  wrong, 
and  of  his  accountability  to  God  for  the  proper  discharge 
of  his  duty.  This  law  of  his  being  is,  we  say,  universal. 
But,  if  we  go  further  and  say  that  religion  takes  in  any 
other  object  of  faith  than  the  one  supreme  and  good  God, 
we  are  at  fau.lt.  No  such  innate  or  external  evidence  is 
furnished  to  the  entire  race  of  men  immediately  from 
God,  with  regard  to  the  so-called  supernatural  faculties  or 
functions  of  Jesus.  Nor  have  we  any  such  grounds  for 
believing  that  he  was  other  than  man.  God  alone — the 
one  God — has  the  sole  power  to  control  all  things,  and  is 
the  only  giver  of  all  good  things.  God  alone,  therefore, 
is,  and  should  be,  the  only  object  of  man's  worship.  His 
bounties  come  to  man  directly,  as  they  do  to  the  lower 
animals,  and  not  by  mediation.  But  whether  or  not  these 
bounties  come  through  one  mode  or  another,  this  in  no 
way  affects  man's  obligations,  nor  the  worship  due  from 
man  to  God.  Neither  does  multiplying  the  objects  of  his 
worship  increase  man's  disposition  to  manifest  grateful 
emotions,  or  to  perform  good  works.  And  this,  for  the  all 
sufficient  reason  that  no  man,  not  excepting  those  who 
profess  to  understand  it  best — the  church  dignitaries — 
can  comprehend  such  an  anomaly,  as  that  Jesus  can  be 
co-equal  with  God.  Is  not  God  infinite ;  and  does  He  not 


WORSHIP   OF  JESUS.  335 

fill  the   Universe?     What  room   or  occasion,   then,  can 
there  be  for  another  infinite  Being? 

There  is  no  end  to  the  mystery  which   the  doctrine  of 
the    Trinity    involves.       It    adds   mystery    to    mystery. 
There  is  one  thing,  however,  in  relation  to  God  which  is 
indispensable   to   man's   welfare;    and  that   is,    that   he 
should  perceive  what  his  duty  is,  both  to  God  and  man. 
This,  God  has  made  sure  that  all  men  shall  know,  at  all 
events  to  the  extent  of  their  needs,  by  implanting  within 
their  very  nature  the  seeds  which  must,  sooner  or  later, 
germinate,  and  bring  forth  their  legitimate  fruits,  under 
the  influences  which  God  has  spread  around  them.     It 
would  be  infinitely  better,  in  our  estimation,  if  man  would 
attend    to   the   manifest   instructions  of    the   Almighty, 
instead  of  running  after  false  gods — as  do  those  who  direct 
their  worship  almost  exclusively  to  Jesus.     But,  admit- 
ing  that  Jesus  was  sent  by  God  in  the  capacity  claimed 
by  his  worshippers,  why  should  religious   teachers  have 
Jesus  on  their  lips  continually,  instead  of  directing  their 
attention  to  the  Fountain  of  all  that  is  good  and  great, 
who  is  entitled,  above  all  others  to  man's  most  profound 
devotion  ?     If,  also — as  is  unceasingly  preached — God  did 
so  love  the  world  as  to  send  his  only  begotton  Son  to  die 
here  for  our  sins,  why  is  it  that  he  who  was  sent  is  so 
perseveringly  pressed  upon  the  attention  in  preference  to 
Him  who  sent?     Is  the  messenger  more  worthy  than  the 
Lord,  through  whose  loving-kindness   the  messenger  was 
despatched  ? 

But  the  solution  is  easy.  The  -sensibilities  of  the 
tender-hearted  and  unsuspecting  are 'readily  worked  up  to 
a  high  tension,  by  over-wrought  and  over-drawn  pictures 
of  the  death-scene  of  Jesus.  This  is  a  powerful  lever  in 
the  hands  of  the  clergy,  wherewith  to  increase  the  num- 


336  ONE  RELIGION :  MANY  CREEDS. 

ber  of  their  disciples,  and,  incidentally,  their  own  emolu- 
ments.    For  the  same  reason,  "the  blessed  Virgin,"  and 
the  infant  Jesus  are  much  dwelt  upon,  to  touch  the  sym- 
pathies of  parents,  and  mothers,  and   women  generally, 
whose  natural  affections  yearn  toward  children.     God  has 
so  constituted  us,  that  our  sympathetic  organs  and  corres- 
ponding kindliness  are  peculiarly  alive  in    behalf   of  a 
mother  and  her  helpless   offspring.     And  so,  even   this 
precious  trait  in  human  nature  is  seized  upon  by  design- 
ing priests,  and  wrought  into  the  means   for  the  acquisi- 
tion of  wealth.     If  it  be  not  so,  why  do  they  not  direct, 
in   their  church  services,  glorification  and   adoration    to 
Jehovah,  the  Father  and  instigator  of  all  good  emotions 
and  deeds  ?     The  Scriptures  tell  us,  that  God,  the  Father, 
is  the  giver  of  all  good  gifts,  and  that  He  is  the  fountain 
from  whence  all  our  blessings  flow.     He,  therefore,  should 
be  the  object  of  our  constant  praise  and  adoration ;  nor  is 
there  any  lack  of  material,  wherewith  to  portray  God  the 
Father,  in  a  most  beautiful  and  attractive  aspect,  without 
resorting  to  fictions.     The   most  insignificant  part  of  the 
sober   truth  that   pertains    to   God's    excellence,   rightly 
arranged  and  brought  to  view,  would  present  Him  in  a 
light   so   glowing,  that  the   spiritual  eye  could  scarcely 
withstand  its  brightness.     And  if  this  be  so,  why  attempt 
to  divert  the  heart's  devotion,  and  the  soul's  adoration, 
from  the  source  of  all  that  is  good  and  great,  by  resorting 
to  false  pretences  ?     If  the  church  has  a  single  eye  to  the 
glory  of  God,  and  the  good   of  men's  souls,  why  does  it 
not  teach  them  to  worship  God  rationally  and  consist- 
ently ?     If  it  should  be  said,  however,  that  there  certainly 
is  great  benefit  to  be  derived  from  leading  persons  to  put 
their  faith  in  religious  creeds,  even  at  the  expense  of  an 
exaggeration  or  perversion  of  the  truth,  the  further  ques- 


CEREMONIES.  337 

tion  then  presents  itself,  as  to  whether  the  theologies  in 
which  the  clergy  solicit  belief  are  of  themselves  true? 
One  denomination  makes  eternal  life  conditional  on  the 
ceremony  of  baptism,  and  gives  the  authority  of  Jesus,  if 
not  his  command,  for  this  requirement.  Another  declares 
with  equal  confidence  that  he  (Jesus)  repudiates  all  cere- 
monies, as  not  being  of  the  essence,  or  an  indispensable 
part  of  religion.  Baptism  may  be  useful  in  its  way — 
being  performed  before  witnesses,  it  stimulates  the  weak 
to  perseverance  in  their  resolves,  and  assists  them  to  hold 
on  to  their  profession  with  more  tenacity  than  they  other- 
wise might  do.  Any  other  act  performed  before  men, 
with  equal  solemnity,  would  answer  the  same  purpose. 
Water,  it  is  true,  is  a  fitting  emblem  of  purity,  but  the 
efficacy,  if  any  there  be  in  baptism,  consists,  not  in  the 
virtue  of  water  being  connected  with  the  outward  acts ; 
the  charm  or  spell  which  accompanies  it,  is  the  fear 
of  men's  remarks  in  case  of  backsliding.  The  effect  is 
analogous  to  that  of  the  laying  on  of  hands  when  a  tem- 
perance pledge  is  given.  Baptism  was  coupled  with  belief 
in  Jesus;  and  was  so  perseveringly  persisted  in  by  the 
first  Apostles  and  their  immediate  followers,  to  prevent 
the  backsliding  of  any  who  should  subscribe  to  the  pre- 
tensions of  Jesus  to  the  Messiahship.  Incidentally,  also, 
it  swelled  the  number  of  his  followers,  and  thus  might 
Drove  the  way  to  his  being  publicly  proclaimed  "  King  of 
the  Jews,"  and  to  their  enjoyment  of  the  worldly  honors, 
power,  and  emoluments  connected  with  his  ascent  of  the 
throne.  And  so  with  all  church  forms  and  ceremonials, 
that  have  at  different  times  been  practiced.  They  are 
not  of  the  slighest  utility,  so  far  as  the  right  appreciation 
and  practice  of  virtue  is  concerned — though  it  may  be 
that  ceremonies,  enacted  before  men's  eyes,  make  churches 


338  ONE  RELIGION:   MANY  CREEDS. 

more  attractive,  and  draw  larger  and  more  imposing  con- 
gregations, serving  at  once  to  increase  the  power  and 
influence  of  the  church,  and  at  the  same  time  to  fill  its 
coffers. 

If  the  Church's  theory  is  right  with  regard  to  God's 
mode  of  salvation,  no  man  can  possibly  comprehend  God's 
justice  therein,  otherwise  than  by  His  placing  it  within 
the  range  of  each  and  every  man's  free-will  to  believe  or 
not  to  believe,  that  Jesus,  the  son  of  Mary,  is  co-equal 
with  God  and  the  only  Saviour  of  mankind,  which  it  is 
absurd  to  say  he  has  done.  For  if  this  church  doctrine 
be  the  proper  view  of  the  subject,  God's  manifest  and 
overwhelming  goodness,  demands  such  clear  and  unmis- 
takable evidence  on  the  side  of  truth,  as  to  make  it  pal- 
pable to  all  men,  that  each  and  all  of  them  could  believe, 
if  they  would ;  and  that  to  neglect  or  omit  to  believe, 
from  any  cause  whatsoever,  would  entail  upon  them  His 
eternal  displeasure  and  vengeance.  It  is  evident  to  all 
that  such  is  not  the  case,  but  that  the  reverse  of  this  is 
the"  fact;  because  the  most  overwhelming  majority  of 
mankind  never  heard  of  Jesus  at  all.  We  are  aware  that 
the  objection  or  quibble  which  is  put  forward  in  reply  to 
this  unanswerable  argument  is,  that  those  who  have  not 
heard  of  salvation  through  Jesus,  will  be  judged  according 
to  the  light  they  have.  But  the  light  which  all  men 
have,  we  insist  again,  is  the  religion  here  advocated ;  and 
this  is  all-sufficient  without  church  theologies,  forms,  or 
sacrifices.  Nothing  but  love  to  God,  and  kind  acts  to 
His  creatures,  is  required  of  any  man  as  a  condition  of 
salvation. 

Jesus  says,  that  "  from  the  days  of  John  the  Baptist 
until  now,  the  kingdom  of  heaven  suffereth  violence,  and 

.   O 

the  violent  take  it  by  force." — Matthew,  xi.  12  ;  or  as  it 


JESUS'  TEACHING   NOT  UNIFORM.  33Q 

is  in  Luke,  xvi.  16 — "since  that  time  the  kingdom  of 
God  is  preached,  and  every  man  presseth  into  it."  Then 
in  answer  to  the  accusation  of  the  Pharisees,  that  he 
drives  out  devils  by  Beelzebub,  he  points  out  that  he  does 
it,  on  the  contrary,  by  the  spirit  of  God,  and  therefore 
that  the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  already  among  them. — 
Matthew,  xii.  28.  He  says,  also — John,  xii.  31,  "Now 
is  the  judgment  of  this  world  ;"  and — Luke,  x.  9 — "  The 
kingdom  of  God  is  come  nigh  unto  you  ;"  and  Mark  says, 
i.  14,  15,  "Jesus  came  into  Galilee  preaching  the  gospel 
of  the  kingdom  of  God,  saying,  the  time  is  fulfilled  and 
the  kingdom  of  God  is  at  hand."  To  the  question,  again, 
of  the  Pharisees,  as  to  when  the  kingdom  of  God  shall 
come,  he  makes  answer  that  it  does  not  come  in  an  exter- 
nal perceptible  manner,  but  it  is  within  them,  or  already 
among  them. — Luke,  xvii.  20,  21.  In  these  passages 
the  kingdom  of  God,  or  heaven,  is  represented  as  that 
which  is  already  here  present,  and  has  been  founded  and 
opened  by  Jesus  during  his  life  on  earth,  being  within 
and  about  them  to  whom  he  was  speaking.  Now  the 
Churches  say  that  no  man  can  enter  the  kingdom  of  God, 
until  he  shall  have  faith  that  Jesus  voluntarily  gave  up 
his  life,  and  shed  his  blood,  for  the  remission  of  original 
sin.  But,  up  to  the  time  of  Jesus'  speaking,  no  such 
occurrence  as  the  shedding  of  his  blood  had  taken  place ; 
no  such  faith  or  belief  had  been  presented  to  any  one  for 
acceptance.  These  wide  discrepancies  between  the  foun- 
der and  the  Church  that  was  built  up  must,  with  every 
reasoning  mind,  overthrow  any  faith  in  Christian  the- 
ology. 

But,  it  is  not  the  Church  alone,  that  differs  with  Jesus. 
He  differs  with  himself,  and  his  disciples  differ  with  him. 
We  have  just  seen  how  he  represents  those  around  him  as 


340  ONE  RELIGION:  MANY  CREEDS. 

having  the  kingdom  of  God  in  and  about  them,  in  other 
words,  that  God's  perfect  government  was  then  in  opera- 
tion upon  earth.  That  is,  in  all  conscience,  sufficiently 
definite  and  explicit,  and  treats  the  kingdom,  which  he 
looked  for,  as  a  fact  accomplished.  But  how  does  it  tally 
with  Jesus'  subsequent  postponing  the  kingdom — with  his 
confession,  as  it  were,  that  after  all,  it  had  not  absolutely 
made  its  appearance?  It  is  in  the  12th  chapter  of  John, 
that  Jesus  is  made  to  say,  "  now  is  the  judgment  of  this 
world :  now  shall  the  prince  of  this  world  (Satan)  be  cast 
out;"  it  is  in  the  14th  that  he  says,  "the  prince  of  this 
world  cometh,  and  hath  nothing  in  me ;"  and  in  the  16th, 
"yea,  the  time  cometh,  that  whosoever  killeth  you  will 
think  that  he  doeth  God  service."  This  swaying  to  and 
fro,  this  uncertainty  as  to  time  and  the  sequence  of  events, 
this  attainment  and  this  passing  away,  this  vague  advent 
of  good  and  of  evil,  the  predictions  at  once  minute  in 
some  particulars  and  shadowy  in  others,  this  jumble  of 
the  past,  the  present,  and  the  future — all  tend  to  confuse 
the  enquiring  mind,  and  to  leave  the  diligent  reader  of 
the  New  Testament  floundering  in  a  strange  quagmire  of 
triumphs  and  tribulations.  The  Church,  indeed,  professes 
to  see  its  way  clear,  through  all  difficulties,  interpreting 
one  obscure  passage  literally,  and  another  metaphorically, 
and  another  spiritually,  and  another  locally,  and  another 
historically.  You  can  never  find  it  at  fault,  for  want  of 
explanation  or  excuse.  But  the  light  that  it  throws  upon 
the  matter  is  little  better  than  that  of  a  dark  lantern. 
It  can  be  turned  on  at  will,  or  shut  off  at  convenience. 
There  is  another  point.  When  Jesus  apparently  awoke 
from  the  delusion  that  he  had  already  established  God's 
kingdom  on  earth,  he  changed  his  ground,  and  connected 
its  coming  with  his  own  second  advent.  But  herein  the 


JESUS'   SECOND   ADVENT.  341 

foundation  for  Christian  theology  is  still  weaker.  Accord- 
ing to  the  Evangelical  accounts,  Jesus  considered  his 
second  Advent  so  near,  that  he  told  his  disciples,  there 
were  some  among  those  standing  round  him,  who  should 
not  taste  of  death  until  they  had  seen  the  Son  of  man 
coming  in  his  kingdom. — Matthew,  xvi.  28 ;  that  the 
then  living  generation  should  not  pass  away  until  this  had 
taken  place,  i.  e.  until  the  second  Advent  of  the  Son  of 
Man,  with  all  its  preparatory  and  attendant  circum- 
stances.— Matthew,  xxiv.  34.  In  particular,  he  announced 
that  this  last  great  event  was  to  occur  immediately  after 
the  destruction  of  Jerusalem,  prophesied  by  him  just 
before. — Matthew,  xxiv.  34.  In  any  case,  he  was  greatly 
mistaken  with  reference  to  the  date,  for  not  only  has  that 
generation  passed  away,  but,  for  eighteen  hundred  years, 
one  generation  after  another  has  followed  its  destiny  and 
run  out  its  allotted  time,  without  his  predicted  second 
Advent  having  taken  place.  Yet  all  this,  from  our  point 
of  view,  does  not  make  the  case  at  all  worse. 

For,  in  order  to  see  that  the  prophecy  of  a  man's 
return  in  the  clouds  is  something  utterly  groundless,  we 
do  not  require  to  know  that  it  did  not  take  place  at  the 
time  predicted.  Jesus  in  prominent  passages  in  Mat- 
thew— xxiv.  and  xxv. — says  that  after  certain  lapses 
and  mishaps  in  the  starry  constellations,  the  sign  of  the 
Son  of  Man  will  appear  in  the  heavens ;  then,  amid  the 
lamentations  of  all  the  nations  of  the  earth,  the  Son  of 
Man  will  be  seen  coming  on  the  clouds  with  power  and 
glory ;  he  will  .send  out  his  angels  with  a  loud  sounding 
trumpet,  in  order  to  gather  his  elect  from  all  the  four 
winds;  and  then  will  he  sit  upon  his  throne  to  judge  all 
men,  to  doom  some  to  everlasting  fire,  and  welcome  others 
into  everlasting  life.  Such  a  description  resists  every 


342  ONE  RELIGION  :  MANY  CREEDS. 

attempt  to  give  it  a  merely  symbolical  meaning ;  and  as 
the  Christian  Church  always  understood  it  in  the  literal 
meaning  of  the  words,  so  it  was  certainly  meant  by  Jesus. 

It  would  appear  from  all  this,  that  man's  destiny,  his 
transcendent  bliss,  or  excruciating  torment,  for  eternity, 
is  irrevocably  determined  during  his  probation  in  the 
flesh ;  that  this  probation  results  either  in  extreme  happi- 
ness or  in  extreme  misery  for  all  time  to  come ;  and  that 
there  is  no  lot  or  state  intermediate  for  man.  If  this  be 
so,  if  man's  destiny  is  altogether  worked  out  in  this  life, 
it  is  difficult  to  see  why  an  eternity  should  be  added  to  it, 
since  few  men  live  so  good  a  life  as  to  entitle  them  to  an 
eternity  of  bliss,  and  few  so  bad  a  life  as  to  deserve  an 
eternity  of  torment.  Moreover,  what  is  to  be  meted  out 
as  the  relatively  proper  state  beyond  the  grave  of  all  the 
various  intermediate  grades  of  merit  or  demerit,  between 
those  who,  according  to  the  Church,  merit  eternal  bliss  on 
the  one  hand,  and  eternal  torment  on  the  other. 

If  we  inquire  of  the  Churches  what  reliable  indication 
there  is  on  this  side  of  the  grave,  as  to  who  will  be  among 
the  blest,  and  who  among  the  accursed,  beyond  the  grave, 
we  shall  receive  as  many  different  answers  as  there  are 
different  denominations  or  sects,  all  claiming  Jesus  for 
their  guide.  The  number  of  these  sects  is  now  so  great 
as  to  make  it  difficult  to  designate  them ;  and  they  are 
every  day  increasing.  This  leaves  us  no  rational  course 
but  to  rely,  for  instruction  upon  this  subject,  upon  him 
who,  as  all  mankind  acknowledge,  cannot  deceive  or 
engender  delusive  hopes — the  Creator  and  Governor  of 
the  Universe.  The  teaching  from  this  source  is  uniform, 
and  consistent  with  every  day  experience.  It  is  that 
there  are  none  perfectly  happy  in  this  life,  and  none  per- 
fectly and  irretrievably  miserable ;  that  there  is  every 


SALVATION  FOR  ALL.  343 

possible  intermediate  grade  between  the  most  happy  and 
the  most  unhappy ;  and  that  the  provisions  of  God  to 
lead  all  men  to  a  more  advanced  state  of  happiness  are 
unceasingly  operating,  and  cannot  fail  to  accomplish  the 
object  God  designed. 

Our  experience,  on  this  side  of  the  grave  is  at  total 
variance  with  the  doctrine  that  mankind  is  divided  into 
two  classes  only ;  one,  being  perfectly  happy,  and  the 
other,  perfectly  miserable.  We  cannot  believe  that  our 
present  training  by  God  and  its  results,  and  our  experience 
here,  should  not  in  a  degree  foreshadow  our  state  beyond 
the  grave. 

With  regard  to  the  narratives  in  the  Bible,  of  occur- 
rences and  sayings  upon  which  the  Christian  Theology  of 
our  day  claims  to  be  founded,  there  is  little  of  which,  we 
can  say  for  certain,  that  it  took  place  ;  and  of  all,  to 
which  the  faith  of  the  Church,  especially,  attaches  itself, 
the  miraculous  and  supernatural  matter,  in  *the  fate  and 
destinies  of  Jesus,  it  is  far  more  certain  that  it  did  not 
take  place.  But  that  the  happiness  of  mankind  is  to 
depend  upon  belief  in  such  things  as  these  is  so  absurd, 
that  the  assertion  of  the  principle  does  not,  at  the  present 
day,  require  refutation. 

But,  as  certainly  as  men  have  a  common  destiny, 
attainable  by  all,  so  a  knowledge  of  the  conditions,  also, 
of  reaching  that  object  must  be  given  to  every  man,  and 
that  knowledge  cannot  be  an  accidental  acquaintance 
with  history  coming  from  without,  but  must  be  a  neces- 
sary knowledge  attainable  by  faculties  such  as  every  man 
.can  find  in  himself. 


WE  now  proceed  to  attempt  a  short  account  of  some  of  the  most 
celebrated  of  those  founders  of  theology,  who  were  said  to  be 
inspired ;  and  of  the  creeds  held,  and  the  moral  teachings  incul- 
cated, by  means  of  a  priesthood  or  through  enacted  laws,  among 
the  most  prominent  sects,  into  which  men  have  been  divided.  We 
shall  add  also  a  sketch  of  the  views  concerning  religion,  that  were 
entertained  by  some  of  the  most  intellectual  persons  in  ancient 
times.  This  account  mainly  consists  of  miscellaneous  extracts  and 
mostly  from  the  following  books.  "  God  in  History,"  by  Sunsen  ; 
"  Essays  on  the  Belief  of  the  Parsees,"  by  Haug ;  "  Life  and 
Teachings  of  Confucius,"  by  Legge  ;  "  Description  of  the  Burmese 
Empire,"  by  Yandy  ;  the  "  Koran,"  translated  from  the  Arabic, 
by  Sale ;  "  Selections  from  the  Koran,"  by  Lane ;  "  Ancient 
Faiths,"  by  Inman  ;  "Rig  Veda,  or  Hindoo  Scriptures,"  translated 
from  the  Sanscrit  by  Wilson  ;  "  History  of  the  Intellectual  Devel- 
opment of  Europe,"  by  Draper ;  "  History  of  Civilization  in  Eng- 
land," by  Buckle  ;  "  The  Ten  Tribes  of  Israel,"  by  Mrs.  Simon  ; 
"  The  Dervishes,"  by  Brown  ;  "  The  Christian  Bible  ; "  and  "  The 
Talmud."  Not  only  is  the  historical  portion  of  the  several 
narratives  taken  from  the  above  named  books,  but  the  views  and 
remarks  with  which  they  are  interspersed  are,  with  slight  excep- 
tions, those  of  the  writers  of  the  works  in  question.  The  imme- 
diate object  in  compiling  this  historical  account  is  to  show  that  the 
point  of  resemblance,  that  is  common  to  every  denomination  or 
sect — and  the  only  one  common  to  them  all — is  their  teaching 
love  and  duty  to  God  and  man,  or,  in  other  words,  natural  religion. 
This  suggests  the  important  question,  whether  this  does  not  com- 
prise the  whole  of  man's  religious  duty. 

The  present  age  is  pre-eminently  utilitarian.  The  Koran,  the 
Zend  Avesta,  the  Vedas,  the  Talmud,  are  read  by  the  learned  and 
the  wise  of  our  times — not  with  a  sole  view  of  refuting  them,  any 
A 


2  APPENDIX. 

more  than  is  the  Bible  so  read.  All  literature  in  relation  to  the 
doings  of  man,  whether  religious,  moral  or  legal,  whensoever  and 
wheresoever  produced  is  a  part  and  parcel  of  humanity.  The 
judicious  student  seeks  to  understand  the  phase  of  culture,  which 
begot  these  items  of  our  inheritance — the  spirit  that  moves  upon 
their  face — and  while  that  which  is  dead  in  them  is  buried,  we 
rejoice  in  that  which  lives  in  them.  Our  stores  of  knowledge  are 
enriched  from  theirs.  We  are  stirred  by  their  poetry  ;  we  are 
moved  to  high  and  holy  thoughts  when  they  touch  the  divine 
chord  in  our  hearts.  The  more  extended  the  researches  into  the 
history  of  man,  the  more  reliable  are  the  data,  the  clearer  is  the 
light,  upon  which  and  by  which  to  determine  the  true  character 
of  mankind  and  their  relations  to  God. 

The  theology  and  religious  precepts  promulgated  by  Zoroaster 
from  1200  to  1500  years  B.  C.,  among  the  Parsees,  have  their 
exponent  in  a  book  called  Zend  Avesta.  The  Zoroastrian  idea  of 
the  personality  and  attributes  of  the  Devil,  and  of  the  infernal 
Kingdom  coincide  with  the  Christian  idea ;  as  does  that  of  the 
resurrection  of  the  dead.  Zoroaster  is  represented  to  have  worked 
miracles ;  he  was  called  the  son  of  Ormasdes,  or  God.  The  Par- 
sees  claim  that  their  so-called  sacred  books  were  all  written  by 
God  and  given  to  Zoroaster,  as  his  prophet,  to  forward  them  to 
mankind'. 

Zoroaster  had  convened  the  nobles  of  the  land  that  he  might 
perform  a  great  public,  religious  act.  Arriving  at  the  head  of 
his  disciples,  the  seers  and  preachers,  he  summoned  the  princes  to 
draw  nigh  and  to  choose  between  faith  and  superstition. 

"  Make  your  choice  !"  he  exclaims;  "around  man  there  is  a  bat- 
tle waging  in  the  spiritual  universe*'  Even  while  on  earth,  he  is 
surrounded  by  good  and  evil  Spirits.  He  is  endowed  with  all 
manner  of  good  gifts  and  blessings  ;  and  his  soul  is  in  the  hands 
of  the  Lord  of  the  Universe,  the  Creator  and  governor  of  the 
world,  the  true  God.  Nevertheless,  in  this  world,  Evil  has  an 
independent  power  from  the  beginning  ;  it  must  and  will  be  ulti- 
mately overcome ;  but  this  can  only  be  effected  by  a  sincere  break- 
ing with  the  Evil  Power — a  personal  decision  in  favor  of  the  Good 
and  True.  Choose  now'blessing  or  cursing!  You  cannot  serve 
two  masters  ;  and  you  cannot 'hold  fellowship  with  lies.  One  side 
or  the  other  must  yield."  The  following  ia-also  a  part  of  the 
recorded  speech  of  Zoroaster  on  this  occasion : 


ZOROASTRIANISM.  3 

"I  will  now  tell  you,  who  are  assembled  here,  the  wise  sayings 
of  the  most  Wise,  the  praises  of  the  living  God.  In  the  beginning 
there  was  a  pair  of  twins,  two  spirits,  each  of  a  peculiar  activity  ; 
these  are  the  good  and  the  base  in  thought,  and  word,  and  deed. 
Choose  one  of  the  two  spirits,  be  good,  not  base  ! 

"And  these  two  Spirits  united,  created  the  first  (the  material 
tilings ;)  one  the  reality,  the  other,  non-reality.  To  the  liars,  (the 
worshippers  of  the  devas,  i.  e.  base,)  existence  will  become  bad, 
whilst  the  believer  in  the  true  God  enjoys  prosperity.  Of  these 
two  spirits  you  must  choose  one,  either  the  evil,  the  originator  of 
the  worst  actions,  or  the  true  holy  spirit.  You  cannot  belong  to 
both  of  them  (i.  e.  you  cannot  be  worshippers  of  the  one  true  God, 
and  of  many  gods  at  the  same  time.)  Thus  let  us  be  such  as  help 
the  life  of  the  future.  The  wise — loving  spirits  are  the  greatest 
supporters  of  it.  The  prudent  man  wishes  only  to  be  there  where 
wisdom  is  at  home.  He  (Ahuramazda)  first  created  through  his 
inborn  lustre  the  multitude  of  celestial  bodies,  and  through  his 
intellect  the  good  creatures,  governed  by  the  inborn  good  mind. 

"  When  my  eyes  beheld  Thee,  the  essence  of  truth,  the  creator 
of  life,  who  manifests  his  life  in  his  works,  then  I  knew  Thee  to 
be  the  primeval  spirit,  thou  Wise,  so  high  in  mind  as  to  create  the 
world,  and  the  father  of  the  good  mind.  " 

Zoroaster  claims  to  have  received  instructions  from  a  supreme 
Being  about  the  highest  matters  of  human  speculation.  He 
appears  as  a  prophet  before  a  large  assembly  of  his  countrymen 
to  propound  to  them  his  new  doctrines. 

The  Magi  (or  priests)  of  Persia  were  at  one  time  split  into 
several  sects,  one  of  which  was  called  the  Mazda  Kyahs,  who 
believed  in  the  transmigration  of  souls,  like  the  Brahmans,  (a 
doctrine  which  is  altogether  strange  to  the  Zend  Avesta,  the  sacred 
book  of  the  Parsees.)  The  other  sect  believed  in  a  revelation 
ma-1'  by  God  to  the  first  man,  called  Gayomart  by  the  Parsees, 
corresponding  to  the  Adam  of  the  Bible. 

"  He  therefore  who,  sacrificing  his  own  selfish  interests,  devotes 
himself  to  the  divine  will,  to  goodness,  shall  receive  earthly  power, 
strength,  possessions.  This  earth  with  her  gifts,  is  the  heritage  of 
the  good,  or  is  destined  to  become  so.  This  view  pervades  all  the 
sayings  of  Zoroaster. 

The  Zoroastrian  sacred  Book  furthermore  exhibits  the  following 
teachings,  which  will  compare  advantageously  with  those  of  the 


4  APPENDIX. 

Bible.  Lying  is  regarded  as  the  most  discreditable  thing  by 
them ;  next  to  it  is  the  incurring  of  debt,  chiefly  for  this  reason, 
that  the  debtor  is  often  compelled  to  tell  lies.  Zoroaster  acknow- 
ledged only  one  God.  "You  cannot  be  worshippers  of  the  one  true 
God,  and  of  many  gods  at  the  same  time." 

"  The  prudent  man  wishes  only  to  be  there  where  wisdom  is  at 
home. 

"  Wisdom  is  the  shelter  from  lies,  the  annihilation  of  the 
destroyer  (the  evil  spirit.)  All  perfect  things  are  garnered  up  in 
the  splendid  residence  of  the  good  mind,  the  Wise,  and  the  True, 
who  are  known  as  the  best  beings. 

"  Therefore,  perform  ye  the  commandments  which,  pronounced 
by  the  Wise  (God)  himself,  have  been  given  to  mankind ;  for  they 
are  a  nuisance  and  perdition  to  liars ;  but  prosperity  to  the 
believer  in  the  truth  ;  they  are  the  fountain  of  happiness. 

"  He  first  created  through  his  inborn  lustre  the  multitude  of 
celestial  bodies,  and  through  his  intellect  the  good  creatures, 
governed  by  the  inborn  good  mind.  Thou  living  spirit,  who  art 
everlasting,  makes  them  (the  good  creatures)  grow. 

"  Do  not  listen  to  the  sayings  and  precepts  of  the  wicked. 

"  Who  are  opposed  in  their  thoughts,  words  and  actions  to  the 
wicked,  and  think  of  the  welfare  of  creation,  their  efforts  will  be 
crowned  by  success. 

"  Blessed  is  he,  blessed  are  all  men,  to  whom  the  living  wise 
god  of  his  own  command  should  grant  those  two  everlasting 
powers  (wholesomeness  and  immortality.)  For  this  very  good  I 
beseech  Thee.  (Ahuramazda.)  Mayest  thou  give  me  happiness, 
the  good  true  things,  and  the  possession  of  the  good  mind ! 

"  I  believe  Thee  to  be  the  best  being  of  all,  the  source  of  light 
for  the  world.  Every  body  shall  choose  Thee  (believe  in  thee)  as 
the  source  of  light,  Thee,  Thee,  holiest  spirit  Mazda!  Thou 
Greatest  all  good  true  things  by  means  of  the  power  of  thy  good 
mind  at  any  time,  and  promisest  us  (who  believe  in  Thee)  a  long 
life. 

"  I  will  believe  Thee  to  be  the  powerful  holy  (god.)  For  thou 
givest  with  thy  hand,  filled  with  helps,  good  to  the  pious  man,  as 
well  as  to  the  impious  by  means  of  the  warmth  of  the  fire  strength- 
ening the  good  things.  From  this  reason  the  vigor  of  the  good 
mind  has  fallen  to  my  lot. 


ZOROASTRIANISM.  5 

"  Thus  I  believe  in  Thee,  as  the  holy  God,  thou  living  Wise ! 
Because  I  beheld  Thee  to  be  the  primeval  cause  of  life  in  the 
creation.  For  thou  hast  made  (instituted)  holy  customs,  and 
words,  thou  hast  given  a  bad  fortune  (emptiness)  to  the  base,  and 
a  good  to  the  good  man. 

"  I  believed  in  Thee,  living  Wise !  in  that  thou  earnest  with 
wealth  and  with  the  good  mind  through  the  actions  of  which  our 
manners  thrive.  The  everlasting  laws,  given  by  thy  intellect, 
nobody  may  abolish. 

"I  will  be  mindful  of  the  truth  (tot  improve  all  good  things)  as 
long  as  I  shall  be  able.  Mayest  thou  grant  me  the  truth,  tell  me 
the  best  to  be  done. 

"  That  I  will  ask  Thee,  tell  me  it  right,  thou  living  God  !  By 
what  means  are  the  present  things  to  be  supported  ?  That  spirit, 
the  holy  one,  is  the  guardian  of  the  beings  to  ward  off  from  them 
every  evil,  he  is  the  promoter  of  all  life. 

"  That  I  will  ask  Thee,  tell  me  it  right,  thou  living  God  !  Who 
was  in  the  beginning  the  father  and  creator  of  truth  ?  Who  made 
the  sun  and  stars  the  way  ?  Who  causes  the  moon  to  increase  and 
wane,  if  not  thou  ?  This  I  wish  to  know  except  what  I  already 
know. 

"  That  I  will  ask  Thee,  tell  me  it  right,  thou  living  God  !  Who 
made  the  lights  of  good  effect  and  the  darkness  ?  Who  made  the 
sleep  of  good  effect  and  the  activity.  Who  made  morning,  noon 
and  night,  reminding  always  the  priest  of  his  duties. 

"  To  become  acquainted  with  these  things,  I  approach  Thee, 
wise,  holy  spirit !  Creator  of  all  beings ! 

"  Tell  me  good  things  to  perform,  the  duties  which  are  enjoined 
by  thyself,  thou  Wise  !  Which  are  communicated  for  the  welfare 
of  all  beings  by  the  good  mind.  What  good,  intended  for  the 
increase  of  life,  is  to  be  had  :  that  may  come  to  me. 

"  Instruct  me  right  in  the  faith  which,  being  the  best  of  all, 
may  produce  the  good  things,  by  means  of  words,  and  action.% 
My  heart  wishes  (it  is  my  lively  desire,)  that  I  may  know  Thee, 
thou  Wise  1 

"  To  those  among  you  who  do  not  live  according  to  the  sayings 
(of  God,)  experience  may  be  a  help. 

"  God  is  endowed  with  good  actions.  Not  is  the  being,  who 
creates  all,  to  be  deceived. 


6  APPENDIX. 

"  God  delivered  the  word,  the  best  to  be  heard  by  men.  Whole- 
someness  and  immortality  are  by  means  of  the  good  mind's  actions 
in  the  possession  of  the  living  Wise. 

"  By  means  of  his  power  and  his  rule  the  generations  gone  by 
subsisted,  and  also  those  to  come  will  subsist  on  him.  The  sincere 
man's  mind  is  aspiring  to  the  everlasting  immortality. 

"  Him,,  whom  I  desire  to  worship,  him,  who  knows  the  truth, 
him,  the  living  Wise,  as  the  source  of  the  good  mind,  the  good 
action,  and  the  good  word. 

"  Him  will  I  adore  with  our  good  mind,  him,  who  is  always  pro- 
pitious to  us  at  day  and  night ;  he,  the  living  Wise,  who  through 
the  sublimity  of  the  good  mind  protects  the  truth. 

"  Thou  living  God  !  Tell  me  the  power  necessary  for  holding 
up  the  religion. 

"What  man  or  what  woman  performs  the  best  actions,  known 
to  Thee,  for  the  benefit  of  this  life,  promoting  thus  the  truth  and 
spreading  thy  rule  through  the  good  mind. 

"  To  you  I  will  speak ;  because  you  distinguish  right  from 
wrong,  the  fruth,  contained  in  the  ancient  commandments  of  the 
living  God.  I  beseech  you  to  assist  me. 

"  Those  who,  by  their  base  minds,  cause  mischief  and  ruin,  those 
who  are  devoid  of  all  good  works  and  find  delight  in  evil  doings 
only — such  men  are  punished. 

"  Every  one  who  is  truly  noble  by  means  of  the  good  inborn 
mind  will  be  rewarded. 

"  We  praise  all  good  thoughts,  all  good  words,  all  good  deeds, 
which  are  and  will  be  (which  are  being  done  and  which  have  been 
done)  and  we  likewise  keep  clean  and  pure  all  that  is  good. 

"  We  strive  to  think,  to  speak,  and  to  do  only  what  of  all  actions 
might  be  best  fitted  to  promote  the  two  lives  (that  of  the  body  and 
of  the  soul.) 

"  We  worship  the  promotion  of  all  good,  all  that  is  very  beau- 
tiful, shining,  immortal,  bright,  every  thing  that  is  good. 

"  There  shall  not  be  overbearance  nor  low-spiritedness,  nor 
violence,  nor  deceit.  Nor  shall  there  be  one  of  the  other  signs 
through  which  men  used  to  become  defiled  by  the  evil  spirit." 

Zarathustra  called  into  existence  a  new  religious  community  to 
be  founded  on  the  principle  of  inviolable  faith  and  truth. 


MOHAMMEDANISM.  7 

Ahuramazda,  as  the  only  Lord,  grants  blessings  to  those  who 
worship  him  with  a  sincere  heart,  by  speaking  always  truth,  and 
performing  good  actions. 

A  living  faith  in  a  moral  order  of  the  world  can  alone  explain 
the  influence,  which  the  Zoroastrian  religion  has  now  exercised  for 
three  thousand  years  on  the  populations  of  Western  Asia. 

The  Zoroastrian  system  recognizes  one  God,  omnipotent,  invisi- 
ble, without  form,  the  creator,  ruler  and  preserver  of  the  universe, 
and  the  last  judge.  The  worship  of  idols,  and  indeed  of  any  being 
except  Ormuzd,  is  held  in  abomination  ;  but  a  reverence  for  fire 
and  the  sun  is  inculcated,  as  they  are  emblems  of  the  glory  of  the 
Supreme  Deity.  It  is  probably  true,  however,  that  the  multitude 
in  the  course  of  time  have  forgotten  that  discrimination  between 
the  symbol  and  the  object  of  their  adoration,  which  was  undoubt- 
edly taught  by  Zoroaster.  To  Ormuzd  as  the  source  of  all  good,  is 
opposed  Ahriman,  the  cause  of  evil.  To  worship  the  good  spirit 
and  hate  the  bad,  are  the  two  fundamental  articles  of  the  Guebre, 
and  Parsee  creed.  Prayer,  obedience,  industry,  honesty,  hos- 
pitality, alms-deeds,  chastity  and  truthfulness,  are  enjoined;  and 
envy,  hatred,  quarrelling,  anger,  revenge  and  polygamy  are 
strictly  forbidden.  Fasting  and  celibacy  are  considered  dis- 
pleasing to  Ormuzd. 

The  Koran  of  Mohammed  is  a  code  of  ritual,  moral  and  criminal 
laws,  as  well  as  a  rule  of  faith  or  theology,  and  religious  duty  for 
a  large  portion  of  mankind. 

The  general  religion  of  the  Arabs,  before  Mohammed,  was  the 
Sabian  ;  though  there  was  also  great  numbers  of  Christians,  Jews, 
and  Magians  among  the  number. 

The  Sabians  believe  in  one  God,  and  produce  many  strong 
arguments  for  his  unity  ;  but  they  also  pay  an  adoration  to  the 
stars,  or  to  the  angels,  and  intelligences  which  they  suppose  reside 
in  them,  and  govern  the  world  under  the  Supreme  Deity.  They 
endeavor  to  perfect  themselves  in  the  four  intellectual  virtues,  and 
believe  that  the  souls  of  wicked  men  will  be  punished  for  ages, 
but  will  afterwards  be  received  to  mercy.  Mohammed  is  said  to 
have  been  born  fifty-three  years  before  the  Flight,  which  happened 
in  the  year  622  of  the  Christian  era.  His  father  Abd- Allah  was 
a  younger  son  of  Abd-el-Muttalib,  the  chief  of  his  tribe,  and, 
dying  very  young  and  in  his  father's  life-time,  left  his  widow  and 
infant  son  in  very  mean  circumstances,  his  whole  substance  con- 


8  APPENDIX. 

sisting  but  of,  five  camels  and  an  Abyssinian  female  slave. 
Mohammed  was  instructed  in  the  business  of  a  merchant,  which 
business  his  uncle  followed ;  and  to  that  end  he  took  him  into 
Syria,  when  he  was  but  thirteen  years  of  age,  and  afterwards 
recommended  him  to  Khadeejeh,  a  noble  and  rich  widow,  for  her 
factor,  in  whose  service  he  behaved  himself  so  well,  that  by 
making  him  her  husband  she  soon  raised  him  to  an  equality  with 
the  richest  in  Mekkeh.  His  age  was  then  five  and  twenty  years, 
and  hers  was  forty.  After  fifteen  years  from  the  period  of  his 
marriage,  his  age  being  now  forty,  he  announced  for  the  first  time, 
that  he  was  sent  by  God  to  restore  the  only  true  and  ancient  reli- 
gion which  had  been  professed  by  Adam,  Noah,  Abraham,  Moses, 
Jesus,  and  all  the  prophets ;  or,  in  other  words,  to  destroy  the 
gross  idolatry  into  which  the  generality  of  his  countrymen  had 
fallen,  and  by  weeding  out  the  corruptions  and  superstitions 
which  the  later  Christians  and  Jews  had  introduced  into  religion, 
to  restore  it  to  its  original  purity,  which  consisted  chiefly  in  the 
worship  of  one  God  only.  Christianity,  wherever  it  was  professed, 
in  the  time  of  Mohammed  was  most  grossly  corrupted,  both  in 
doctrine  and  in  practice.  The  notion  of  the  divinity  of  the  Virgin 
Mary  appears,  from  what  is  said  by  commentators  on  the  Koran, 
to  have  prevailed  widely  among  the  Christians  of  Arabia.  Some, 
also  at  the  Council  of  Nice,  asserted  that  there  were  two  gods 
beside  the  Father ;  namely,  Christ,  and  the  Virgin  Mary ;  and 
were  thence  called  Mariamites.  Others  imagined  her  to  b^  exempt 
from  humanity,  and  deified.  This  opinion  is  justly  condemned 
in  the  Koran.  Other  sects  there  were,  of  many  denominations, 
within  the  borders  of  Arabia,  which  took  refuge  there  from  the 
proscriptions  of  the  imperial  edicts ;  and  several  of  their  tenets 
the  Koran  confirmed. 

With  regard  to  the  Jews,  though  they  were  an  inconsiderable 
and  despised  people  in  other  parts  of  the  world,  yet  in  Arabia, 
whither  many  of  them  fled  after  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem, 
they  grew  very  powerful,  several  tribes  and  princes  embracing 
their  religion.  Mohammed  at  first  showed  great  regard  to  them, 
and  many  of  their  opinions,  doctrines  and  customs,  were  sanc- 
tioned by  the  Koran,  but  that  people,  agreeably  to  their  wonted 
obstinacy,  were  so  far  from  being  his  proselytes,  that  they  were 
some  of  the  bitterest  enemies  he  had,  waging  continual  war  with 
him,  so  that  their  reduction  cost  him  infinite  trouble  and  danger, 


MOHAMMEDANISM.  9 

and  at  last  his  life — a  remarkable  coincidence  as  between  Moham- 
med and  Christ. 

The  eloquence  of  the  Koran  ;  the  nature  of  its  principal  dogmas 
(which  required  no  one  to  whom  it  was  preached  to  renounce 
altogether  his  former  faith)  ;  the  general  adaptation  of  its  civil 
and  criminal  laws  to  the  existing  constitution  of  Arabian  society ; 
the  political  liberty  which  it  conferred  upon  the  mass  of  its 
disciples  (by  making  them  equal  in  the  eye  of  the  law,)  while  it 
limited  the  power  of  those  in  authority  (by  religious  obligations)  ; 
the  smallness  of  the  taxes  which  it  imposed;  the  simplicity,  com- 
pleteness, and  consistency,  of  its  whole  code  (which  was  to  be 
observed  always  according  to  its  spirit  rather  than  its  letter)  ;  this 
had  an  effect  to  make  his  teachings  acceptable. 

Mohammed  had  certainly  the  personal  qualifications  which  were 
necessary  for  the  accomplishment  of  ms  undertaking.  The  Moslem 
authors  are  excessive  in  their  commendations  of  him,  and  speak 
much  of  his  religious  and  moral  virtues  ;  as  his  piety,  veracity, 
justice,  liberality,  clemency,  humility  and  abstinence.  His  charity 
in  particular,  they  say,«was  so  conspicuous,  that  he  had  seldom 
any  money  in  his  house,  keeping  no  more  for  his  own  use  than  was 
just  sufficient  to  maintain  his  family  ;  and  he  frequently  spared 
even  some  part  of  his  own  provisions  to  supply  the  necessities  of 
the  poor ;  so  that  before  the  year's  end  he  had  generally  little  or 
nothing  left.  God,  says  El-Bukharee,  offered  him  the  keys  of  the 
treasures  of  the  earth,  but  he  would  not  accept  them.  The  eastern 
historians  also  describe  him  as  a  man  of  an  excellent  judgment, 
and  a  happy  memory ;  and  these  natural  parts  were  improved  by 
a  great  experience  and  knowledge  of  men,  and  the  observations 
he  had  made  in  his  travels.  They  say  he  was  a  person  of  few 
words,  of  an  equal  and  cheerful  temper,  pleasant  and  familiar 
in  conversation,  of  inoffensive  behaviour  towards  his  friends, 
and  of  great  condescension  towards  his  inferiors ;  to  all  which 
were  joined  a  comely,  agreeable  person,  and  a  polite  address, 
which  were  of  no  small  service  in  prepossessing  those  in  his 
favor  whom  he  attempted  to  persuade. 

As  to  acquired  learning  (in  the  common  acceptation  of  the  term) 
it  is  confessed  that  he  had  none  at  all,  having  no  other  education 
than  what  was  customary  in  his  tribe.  This  defect  was  so  far  from 
being  prejudicial,  or  putting  a  stop  to  his  design,  that  he  made 
the  greatest  use  of  it,  insisting  that  the  writings  which  he  pro- 


10  APPENDIX. 

duced  as  revelations  from  God,  could  not  possibly  be  a  forgery  of 
his  own ;  because  it  was  not  conceivable  that  a  person  who  could 
neither  write  nor  read  should  be  able  to  compose  a  book  of  such 
excellent  doctrine,  and  in  so  elegant  a  style ;  and  thereby  obvi- 
ating an  objection  that  might  have  carried  a  great  deal  of  weight. 
And  for  this  reason  his  followers,  instead  of  being  ashamed  of 
their  master's  ignorance,  glory  in  it,  as  an  evident  proof  of  his 
divine  mission,  and  scruple  not  to  call  him  (as  he  is  indeed  called 
in  the  Koran  itself)  the  Illiterate  Prophet. 

Before  Mohammed  made  any  attempt  abroad,  he  rightly  judged 
that  it  was  necessary  for  him  to  begin  by  the  conversion  of  his 
own  household.  Having  therefore  conducted  his  family  to  a  cave 
in  Mount  Hera,  near  Mekkeh,  whither  he  had  been  accustomed 
to  retire  for  a  month  in  every  year,  for  the  purposes  of  religious 
contemplation  and  worship*  he  there  opened  the  secret  of  his 
mission  to  his  wife  Khadeejeh.  He  acquainted  her  that  the  angel 
Gabriel  had  just  before  appeared  to  him,  and  informed  him  that 
he  was  appointed  the  apostle  of  God ;  telling  her  that  the  angel 
had  previously  addressed  him,  saying,  "«Recite,"  whereupon  he 
said,  "And  what  shall  I  recite?" — to  which  Gabriel  answered, 
"Recite,  [commencing  thus,]  In  the  name  of  thy  Lord,  who  hath 
created  [all  creatures] :  he  hath  created  man  of  a  little  clot  of 
blood.  Recite,  and  thy  Lord  is  the  most  Bountiful,  who  hath 
taught  [the  art  of  writing]  by  the  pen :  He  hath  taught  man 
that  which  he  knew  not."  Khadeejeh  received  this  news  with 
great  joy,  swearing  by  Him  in  whose  hand  (that  is,  at  whose  dis- 
posal) was  her  soul,  that  she  trusted  he  would  be  the  prophet  of 
his  nation  ?  and  immediately  communicated  what  she  had  heard  to 
her  cousin  Warikah  Ibn-Nowfal,  who,  being  a  Christian,  could 
write  in  the  Hebrew  character,  and  was  tolerably  well  versed  in 
the  Scriptures  ;  and  he  as  readily  came  into  her  opinion,  assuring 
her  that  the  same  angel  who  had  formerly  appeared  unto  Moses 
was  now  sent  to  Mohammed.  This  first  overture  the  Prophet 
made  in  the  month  of  Ramadan,  in  the  fortieth  year  of  his  age, 
which  he  therefore  usually  called  the  first  of  his  mission.  The  next 
person  to  whom  Mohammed  applied  was  'Abd- Allah  Ibn-Abee- 
Kohafeh,  surnamed  Aboo-Bekr,  a  man  of  great  authority  among 
the  tribe  of  Kureysh,  and  one  whose  interest  he  well  knew  would 
be  of  great  service  to  him,  as  it  soon  appeared,  for  Aboo-Bekr, 
being  gained  over,  prevailed  also  on  'Othman  Ibn-'AffAn,  'Abd- 


MOHAMMEDANISM.  H 

Er-Rahman,  Ibn-'Owf,  Saad  Ibn-Abee-Wakkas,  Ez-Zubeyr  Ibn- 
El-'Owwam,  and  Talhah  Ibn-'Obeyd  Allah,  all  principal  men  in 
Mekkeh,  to  follow  his  example. 

These  men  were  the  six  chief  companions,  who,  with  a  few  more, 
were  converted  in  the  space  of  three  years  ;  at  the  end  of  which, 
Mohammed,  having,  as  he  hoped,  a  sufficient  interest  to  support 
him,  made  his  mission  no  longer  a  secret.  He  made  the  following 
speech  :  — "I  know  not  a  man  among  the  Arabs  who  hath  brought 
unto  his  people  a  more  excellent  thing  than  that  which  I  have 
brought  unto  you.  I  have  brought  unto  you  happiness  in  this  life 
and  in  that  which  is  to  come  ;  for  God  (whose  name  be  exalted  !) 
hath  commanded  me  to  call  you  unto  Him." 

Mohammed  began  to  preach  in  public  to  the  people,  who  heard 
him  with  some  patience,  till  he  came  to  upbraid  them  with  the 
idolatry,  obstinacy,  and  perverseness  of  themselves  and  their 
fathers ;  which  so  highly  provoked  them,  that  they  declared  them- 
selves his  enemies,  and  would  soon  have  procured  his  ruin,  had  he 
not  been  protected  by  Aboo-Tulib. 

Mohammed  was  not  to  be  intimidated,  telling  his  uncle  plainly, 
that  if  they  set  the  sun  against  him  on  his  right  hand,  and  the 
moon  on  his  left,  he  would  not  leave  his  enterprise:  and  Aboo- 
Talib,  seeing  him  so  firmly  resolved  to  proceed,  used  no  further 
arguments,  but  promised  to  stand  by  him  against  all  his  enemies. 

The  tribe  of  Kureysh,  finding  that  they  could  prevail  neither  by 
fair  words  nor  menaces,  tried  what  they  could  do  by  force  and 
ill-treatment ;  using  Mohammed's  followers  so  very  injuriously, 
that  it  was  not  safe  for  them  to  continue  at  Mekkeh  any  longer. 
In  the  sixth  year  of  his  mission  Mohammed  had  the  pleasure  of 
seeing  his  party  strengthened  by  the  conversion  of  his  uncle 
Hamzeh,  a  man  of  great  valor  and  merit,  and  of  'Omar  Ibin-El- 
Khattab,  a  person  highly  esteemed,  and  once  a  violent  opposer  of 
the  prophet.  As  persecution  generally  advances  rather  than 
obstructs  the  spreading  of  a  religion,  El-Islam  made  great  progress 
among  the  Arab  tribes. 

Mohammed  was  not  wanting  to  himself.  He  boldly  continued 
to  preach  to  the  public  assemblies  at  the  pilgrimage  ;  and  while 
doing  so  at  the  'Akabeh  (or  Mountain  road,  in  the  route  of  the 
pilgrims  from  Mekkeh  to  Mount  'Arafit,)  gained  six  proselytes, 
inhabitants  of  Yethrib  (afterwards  called  El-Medeeneh,)  of  the 
Jewish  tribe  of  El  Khazraj,  who,  on  their  return  home,  failed  not 


12  APPENDIX. 

to  ppeak  much  in  commendation  of  their  new  religion,  and 
exhorted  their  fellow  citizens  to  embrace  the  same. 

In  the  same  year,  which  was  the  next  year  after  the  conversion 
of  the  six  men  of  Yethrib,  twelve  men  of  that  city,  of  whom  ten 
were  of  the  tribe  of  El-Khazraj,  and  the  other  two  of  that  of  Ows, 
came  on  a  pilgrimage,  and  made  a  vow  of  obedience  to  Moham- 
med, and  which  was  to  this  effect,  viz :  That  they  should 
renounce  all  idolatory  :  That  they  should  not  steal,  nor  commit 
fornication,  nor  kill  their  children  (as  the  Pagan  Arabs  used  to  do 
when  they  apprehended  that  they  should  not  be  able  to  maintain 
them,)  nor  forge  lies;  and  that  they  should  obey  the  prophet  in  all 
things  that  were  right.  The  next  year,  being  the  thirteenth  of 
Mohammed's  mission,  he  chose  twelve  out  of  their  number,  who 
were  to  have  the  same  authority  among  them  as  the  twelve  apostles 
of  Christ  had  among  his  disciple.?. 

Hitherto  Mohammed  had  employed  persuasion  only  to  effect  his 
enterprise.  So  far  was  he  from  allowing  his  followers  to  use  force, 
that  he  exhorted  them  to  bear  patiently  those  injuries  which  were 
offered  them  on  account  of  their  faith ;  and  when  persecuted  him- 
self, he  chose  rather  to  quit  the  place  of  his  birth,  and  retire  to 
El-Medeeneh,  than  to  make  any  resistance. 

But  when  the  opposition  of  his  enemies  had  become  so  great  as 
to  threaten  the  lives  of  himself  and  his  followers,  and  the  latter 
were  sufficiently  numerous  to  take  up  arms  in  self-defence,  with  a 
fair  prospect  of  success,  he  proclaimed  that  God  had  allowed  him 
and  his  followers,  to  defend  themselves  against  the  unbelievers. 

When  Mohammed's  party  had  become  sufficiently  numerous  and 
powerful  to  put  those  laws  in  execution,  by  achieving  repeated 
victories  over  enemies  who  might  easily  have  overwhelmed  them 
but  for  want  of  union,  the  number  of  the  nominal  Muslims  was 
thereby  rapidly  increased,  and  the  faith  of  El- Islam  indirectly  pro- 
pagated. 

Thus  was  El-Islam  established,  and  idolatry  rooted  out,  in 
Mohammed's  life-time  (for  he  died  the  next  year,)  throughout  all 
Arabia,  except  only  El-Yemameh  :  where  Museylimeh,  who  set 
up  also  for  a  prophet,  as  Mohammed's  competitor,  had  a  great 
party,  and  was  not  reduced  until  the  the  time  of  the  Khaleefeh 
Aboo  Bekr.  The  Arabs  being  them  united  in  one  faith  and  under 
one  prince,  found  themselves  in  a  condition  to  make  those  con- 


MOHAMMEDANISM.  13 

quests  which  extended  the  dominion  of  the  Muslims,  and  con- 
sequently their  faith,  over  so  great  a  part  of  the  world. 

The  Koran  is  universally  allowed  to  be  written  with  the  utmost 
elegance  and  purity  of  language,  in  the  dialect  of  the  tribe  of 
Kureysh,  the  most  noble  and  polite  of  all  the  Arabs,  but  with 
some  mixture,  though  very  rarely,  of  other  dialects.  It  is  con- 
fessedly the  standard  of  the  Arabic  tongue,  and,  as  the  more 
orthodox  believe,  and  are  taught  by  the  book  itself,  inimitable  by 
any  human  pen,  and  therefore  it  is  insisted  on  as  a  permanent 
miracle,  greater  than  that  of  raising  the  dead,  and  alone  sufficient 
to  convince  the  world  of  its  divine  orgin. 

To  this  miracle  did  Mohammed  himself  chiefly  appeal  for  the 
confirmation  of  his  mission,  publicly  challenging  the  most  eloquent 
men  in  Arabia,  which  was  at  that  time  stocked  with  thousands 
whose  sole  study  and  ambition  it  was  to  excel  in  elegance  of  style 
and  composition,  to  produce  even  a  single  chapter  that  might  be 
compared  with  it. 

The  style  of  the  Koran  is  generally  beautiful  and  fluent,  but 
concise,  and  often  obscure ;  adorned  with  bold  figures  after  the 
eastern  taste,  enlivened  with  florid  and  sententious  expressions, 
and  in  many  places,  especially  where  the  majesty  and  attributes 
of  God  are  described,  sublime  and  magnificent. 

The  burthen  of  the  teaching  of  the  Koran  is  the  unity  of  God, 
and  the  duty  of  man  to  man  ;  it  being  laid  down  therein  as  a 
fundamental  truth,  that  there  never  was,  and  never  can  be,  more 
than  one  true  religion ;  for  though  the  particular  laws  or  ceremo- 
nies are  only  temporary,  and  subject  to  alteration,  yet  the  sub- 
stance of  it,  being  eternal  truth,  is  not  liable  to  change,  but  con- 
tinues immutably  the  same. 

Other  parts  of  the  Koran  are  taken  up  in  giving  necessary  laws 
and  directions,  in  frequent  admonitions  to  moral  and  divine 
virtues,  and  above  all,  to  the  worshipping  and  reverencing  of  the 
only  true  God,  and  resignation  to  His  will.  The  following  are 
among  its  teachings. 

The  pious  is  he  who  believeth  in  God,  and  who  giveth  money  to 
the  needy,  those  who  perform  their  covenant  with  men  in  adver- 
sity, (or  excessive  poverty,)  and  affliction,  (or  disease,)  and  done 
that  which  is  right  (according  to  God's  law)  they  shall  have  their 
reward. 

Those  who  do  an  evil  thing  shall  be  punished,  but  they  who 
have  believed,  and  done  good  works,  these  shall  be  rewarded. 


14  APPENDIX. 

These  are  they  who  have  purchased  error  in  exchange  for  right 
direction,  and  their  traffic  hath  not  been  profitable :  on  the  con- 
trary, they  have  incurred  loss.  And  God  encompasseth  the 
unbelievers  by  his  knowledge  and  his  powers,  so  that  they  cannot 
escape  him. 

Those  who  have  believed  in  God  and  done  righteous  works  shall 
be  rewarded,  the  hypocrites  shall  be  punished. 

The  service  of  God  is  as  the  similitude  of  a  grain  that  hath  pro- 
duced seven  ears,  in  each  ear  a  hundred  grains. 

A  kind  speech,  and  forgiveness,  are  better  than  alms  which 
harm,  or  reproach,  followeth. 

Turn  away  evil  by  that  which  is  better  (as  anger  by  patience, 
and  ignorance  by  mildness,  and  evil  conduct  by  forgiveness  ;)  and 
lo,  he  between  whom  and  thyself  (was)  enmity  (shall  become)  as 
though  he  were  a  warm  friend  :  but  none  is  endowed  with  this 
disposition  except  those  who  have  been  patient  ;  and  none  is 
endowed  with  it  except  him  who  hath  great  good  fortune. 

Verily  God  commandeth  justice,  and  the  doing  of  good,  and  the 
giving  unto  the  relation  ;  and  He  forbiddeth  wickedness  and 
iniquity  and  oppression  :  He  admonisheth  you  that  ye  may  reflect. 

Give  the  orphans  when  they  come  to  age  their  substance,  and 
render  them  not  in  exchange  bad  for  good,  and  devour  not  their 
substance,  by  adding  it  to  your  own  substance  ;  for  this  is  a  great 
sin. 

Those  who  do  evil  ignorantly,  and  then  repent  speedily  ;  unto 
them  will  God  be  turned :  for  God  is  knowing  and  wise. 

Covet  not  that  which  God  hath  bestowed  on  some  of  you  pre- 
ferably to  others. 

The  honest  women  are  obedient,  careful  in  the  absence  of  their 
husbands,  for  that  God  preserveth  them  by  committing  them  to 
the  care  and  protection  of  the  men,  seek  not  an  occasion  of 
quarrel  against  them,  show  kindness  unto  parents,  and  relations, 
and  orphans,  and  the  poor,  and  your  neighbor.  Verily  God  will 
not  wrong  any  one,  and  if  it  be  a  good  action  he  will  recompense 
it  with  a  great  reward. 

God  is  a  sufficient  patron ;  and  God  is  a  sufficient  helper. 

Those  who  believe  and  do  that  which  is  right,  we  will  bring 
into  gardens  watered  by  rivers,  therein  shall  they  remain  for  ever. 

And  ye  are  also  allowed  to  marry  free  women  living  chastely 
with  them  neither  committing  fornication,  nor  taking  them  for 


MOHAMMEDANISM.  15 

concubines,  observe  justice  when  ye  appear  as  w  itnesses,  and  let 
not  hatred  towards  any  induce  you  to  do  wrong;  but  act  justly 
the  Lords  renders  the  reward  of  their  works. 

Show  kindness  unto  your  parents,  whether  the  one  of  them,  or 
both  of  them  attain  to  old  age  with  thee,  speak  respectfully  unto 
them ;  and  submit  to  behave  humbly  towards  them,  out  of  tender 
affection. 

Give  unto  him  who  is  of  kin  to  you  his  due,  and  also  unto  the 
poor  and  the  traveller.  And  waste  not  thy  substance  profusely; 
let  not  thy  hand  be  tied  up  to  thy  neck  ;  neither  open  it  with  an 
unbounded  expansion,  lest  thou  become  worthy  of  reprehension 
and  be  reduced  to  poverty. 

Draw  not  near  unto  fornication  ;  for  it  is  wickedness,  and  an 
evil  way. 

Meddle  not  with  the  substance  of  the  orphan,  unless  it  be  to 
improve  it.  Perform  your  covenant.  And  give  full  measure, 
when  you  measure  aught ;  and  weigh  with  a  just  balance. 

Walk  not  proudly  in  the  land. 

Whosoever  resigneth  himself  unto  God,  being  a  worker  of 
righteousness,  taketh  hold  on  a  strong  handle ;  and  unto  God 
belongeth  the  issue  of  all  things. 

Whosoever  desireth  excellence  ;  unto  God  doth  all  excellence 
belong  ;  unto  him  ascendeth  the  good  speech ;  and  the  righteous 
work  will  he  exalt. 

Those  who  believe,  and  put  their  trust  in  their  Lord  ;  and  who 
avoid  heinous  and  filthy  crimes,  and  when  they  are  angry  forgive  • 
and  who  give  alms. 

He  who  forgiveth,  and  is  reconciled  unto  his  enemy,  shall  receive 
his  reward. 

Let  not  men  laugh  other  men  to  scorn  ;  who  peradventure  may 
be  better  than  themselves  ;  neither  let  women  laugh  other  women 
to  scorn  ;  who  may  possibly  be  better  than  themselves.  Neither 
defame  one  another  ;  nor  call  one  another  by  opprobrious  appella- 
tions. 

Verily  the  hypocrites  are  those  who  act  wickedly. 

Consume  not  your  wealth  among  yourselves  in  vain  ;  nor  present 
it  unto  judges,  that  ye  may  devour  part  of  men's  substance 
unjustly,  against  your  own  consciences. 


16  APPENDIX. 

BUDDHISM. 

The  foresight  of  the  great  founder  of  this  system  was  justified 
by  its  prodigious,  its  unparallelled,  its  enduring  success — a  success 
that  rested  on  the  assertion  of  the  dogma  of  the  absolute  equality 
of  all  men,  and  this  in  a  country  that  for  ages  had  been  oppressed 
by  castes. 

Buddhism  arose  about  the  tenth  century  before  Christ,  its 
founder  being  Arddha  Chiddi,  a  native  of  Capila,  near  Nepaul, 
1000  B.  C.  The  Sanscrit  words  occuring  in  Buddhism  attest  its 
Hindu  orgin.  Buddha,  itself  being  Sanscrit  for  intelligence. 
After  the  system  had  spread  widely  in  India,  it  was  carried  by 
Missionaries  into  Ceylon,  Tartary,  Thibet,  China,  Japan,  Burmah, 
and  is  now  professed  by  a  greater  portion  of  the  human  race  than 
any  other  system  of  theology.  Until  quite  recently,  the  history 
of  Arddha  Chiddi,  and  the  system  he  taught  have,  notwithstand- 
ing their  singular  interest,  been  very  imperfectly  known  in 
Europe.  He  was  born  in  affluence,  and  of  a  royal  family.  In  his 
twenty-ninth  year  he  retired  from  the  world,  the  pleasures  of 
which  he  had  tasted,  and  of  which  he  had  become  weary.  Leav- 
ing his  numerous  wives,  he  became  a  religious  mendicant.  Pro- 
foundly impressed  with  the  vanity  of  human  affairs,  he  devoted 
himself  to  philosophical  meditation,  by  severe  self-denial,  emanci- 
pating himself  from  all  worldly  hopes  and  cares.  For  the  name  by 
which  his  parents  had  called  him,  he  substituted  that  of  Gotama, 
or  "  he  who  kills  the  senses."  It  is  claimed  that  Gotama  was  born 
under  the  shade  of  a  tree,  and  that  he  overcame  the  love  of  the 
world,  and  the  fear  of  death  ;  under  the  shade  of  a  tree  he 
preached  his  first  sermon  in  the  shroud,  and  under  the  shade  of  a 
tree  he  died. 

In  four  months  after  he  commenced  his  ministry,  he  had  five 
disciples ;  at  the  close  of  the  year  they  had  increased  to  twelve 
hundred.  In  the  twenty-nine  centuries  that  have  passed,  and 
since  that  time  they  have  given  rise  to  sects  counting  millions  of 
souls,  outnumbering  the  followers  of  all  other  religious  teachers. 
The  system  still  seems  to  retain  much  of  its  pristine  vigor ;  yet 
so  much  of  all  the  systems  of  worship  as  consist  of  creeds  and 
theologies,  gotten  up  by  particular  men,  are  perishable.  The  reli- 
gion given  by  God  to  all  men  alone  endureth.  Gotama  died  at 
the  advanced  age  of  eighty  years ;  his  corpse  was  burnt  eight  days 
subsequently. 


BUDDHISM.  17 

But  several  years  before  this  event,  his  system  must  be  con- 
sidered as  thoroughly  established.  It  shows  how  little  depends 
upon  the  nature  of  a  doctrine,  and  how  much  upon  effective 
organization,  that  Buddhism,  the  principles  of  which  are  far  above 
the  reach  of  popular  thought,  should  have  been  propagated  with 
so  much  rapidity,  for  it  made  converts  by  preaching  and  not,  like 
Mohammedanism,  by  the  sword. 

Shortly  after  Gotama's  death,  a  council  of  five-hundred  ecclesi- 
astics assembled  for  the  purpose  of  settling  the  doctrine.  A  cen- 
tury later,  a  second  council  met  to  regulate  the  monastic  institu- 
tion. In  proclaiming  the  equality  of  all  men  in  this  life,  the 
Buddhists,  as  we  have  seen,  came  into  direct  collision  with  the 
orthodox  creed  of  India,  long  carried  out  into  practice  in  the 
institution  of  castes — a  collision  that  was  embittered  by  the  abhor- 
rence the  Buddhists  displayed  for  ajiy  distinction  between  the 
clergy  and  laity. 

The  fundamental  principle  of  Buddhism  is  that  there  is  a 
supreme  impelling  Power  in  the  universe,  a  self-existent  principle, 
it  rejects  inquiry  into  first  causes  as  being  unphilosophical,  and  con- 
siders that  phenomena  alone  can  be  dealt  with  by  our  finite  minds. 

The  Buddhist  denies  the  immediate  interposition  of  any  such 
agency  as  Providence,  maintaining  that  the  system  of  nature,  once 
arising,  must  proceed  irresistibly  according  to  the  laws  which 
brought  it  into  being.  To  the  Brahman  priesthood  such  ideas 
were  particularly  obnoxious  ;  they  were  hostile  to  any  philoso- 
phical system  founded  on  the  principle  that  the  world  is  governed 
by  law,  for  they  suspected  that  its  tendency  would  be  to  leave 
them  without  any  mediatory  functions,  and  therefore  without  any 
claims  on  the  faithful.  Equally  does  Gotama  deny  the  existence 
of  chance,  saying  that  that  which  we  call  chance,  is  nothing  but 
the  effect  of  an  unknown,  unvoidable  cause. 

He  will  not,  however,  recognize  any  vicarious  action.  Each  one 
must  work  out  for  himself  his  own  salvation. 

The  philosophical  ability  displayed  in  the  Buddhism  creeds  is 
very  great ;  indeed,  it  may  be  doubted  whether  Europe  has  pro- 
duced its  metaphysical  equivalent. 

In  its  early  ages,  Buddhism  had  its  fables,  legends,  and  miracles 
Its    humble   devotees   implicitly   believed    that    Mohamaia ;  the 
mother  of  Gotama,  an  immaculate  Virgin,  conceived  him  through  a 
divine  influence,  and  that  thus  he  was  of  the  nature  of  God  and 
B 


18  APPENDIX. 

man  conjoined  ;  that  he  stood  upon  his  feet  and  spoke  at  the 
moment  of  his  birth  ;  that  at  five  months  of  age  he  sat  unsupported 
in  the  air :  that  at  the  moment  of  his  conversion  he  was  attacked 
by  a  legion  of  demons,  and  that  in  his  penance-fasting  he  reduced 
himself  to  the  allowance  of  one  pepper-pod  a  day  ;  that  he  had 
been  incarnate  many  times  before,  and  that  on  his  ascension 
through  the  air  to  heaven  he  left  his  footprints  on  a  mountain  in 
Ceylon  which  is  to  be  worshipped ;  that  there  is  a  paradise  of  gems, 
and  flowers,  and  feasts,  and  music  for  the  good,  and  a  hell  of 
sulphur,  and  flames,  and  torment  for  the  wicked ;  that  it  is  lawful 
to  resort  to  the  worship  of  images,  that  there  are  spirits,  and 
goblins,  and  other  superhuman  forms,  that  there  is  a  queen  of 
heaven ;  that  the  reading  of  the  scriptures  is  in  itself  an  actual 
merit ;  whether  its  precepts  are  followed  or  not ;  that  prayer  may 
be  offered  by  saying  a  formula  by  rote,  or  even  by  turning  the 
handle  of  a  mill  from  which  invocations  written  on  paper  issue 
forth,  that  the  revealer  of  Buddhism  is  to  be  regarded  as  the 
religious  head  of  the  world. 

He  alone  who  flees  to  Buddha,  who  clings  to  doctrine  and  the 
"Church — he  will  understand  right  purely  and  clearly  the  fourfold 
lofty  truth. 

The  reader  cannot  fail  to  mark  the  resemblance  of  these  ideas  to 
some  of  those  of  the  Roman  Church. 

Decorated  with  these  extraneous  but  popular  recommendations, 
Buddhism  has  been  embraced  by  four-tenths  of  the  human  race. 
It  has  a  prodigious  literature,  great  temples,  and  many  monuments. 
Its  Monasteries  are  scattered  from  the  north  of  Tartary  almost  to 
the  equinoctial  line.  In  these  an  education  is  imparted  not  unlike 
that  of  the  European  monasteries  of  the  middle  ages.  It  has  been 
estimated  that  in  Tartary  one-third  of  the  population  are  Lamas. 
There  are  single  convents  containing  more  than  two  thousand 
individuals ;  the  wealth  the  country  voluntarily  pours  into  them. 
Elementary  education  is  more  widely  diffused  than  in  Europe.  It 
is  rare  to  meet  with  a  person  who  cannot  read.  Among  the  priests 
there  are  many  who  are  devout,  and  as  might  be  expected,  many 
who  are  impostors.  The  result  is  that  under  the  extensive  educa- 
tion and  information  that  prevails  throughout  these  countries,  the 
creeds  and  theologies  based  upon  their  early  fables,  legends,  and 
miracles,  are  verging  into  indifference  with  the  masses,  as  is  the 
case  among  the  educated  in  Christian  countries. 


BUDDHISM.  19 

The  formula  under  which  they  live  is,  "  That  creeds  and  theolo- 
gies are  many.  The  Religion  of  Brotherhood  is  one  ;  v/e  are 
Brothers." 

They  smile  at  the  credulity  of  the  good-natured  Tartars,  who 
believe  in  the  wonders  of  miracle-workers,  for  they  have  miracle- 
workers,  who  can  perform  the  most  supernatural  cures,  who  can 
lick  red-hot  iron,  who  can  cut  open  their  bowels,  and,  by  passing 
their  hand  over  the  wound  make  themselves  whole  again,  who  can 
raise  the  dead.  In  China,  these  miracles,  with  all  their  authenti- 
cations, have  descended  to  the  conjuror,  and  are  performed  for  the 
amusement  of  children. 

According  to  the  most  credible  of  the  accounts  that  have  come 
down  to  us  we  find  in  the  Founder  of  the  theology  of  India  a 
character  so  noble,  self-sacrificing,  and  overflowing  with  brotherly 
love,  combined  at  the  same  time  with  such  sobriety  in  his  mode  of 
action  that  any  idea  of  either  imposture  or  insanity  in  his  case  is 
utterly  inadmissible. 

Of  the  Buddhistic  writings  that  have  appeared  since  the  time  of 
Burnouf,  either  in  the  original  text  or  in  translations,  the  most 
important  is  the  text  of  the  oldest  Pali  book,  which  is  also  regarded 
by  all  parties  among  the  Buddhists,  as  the  highest  authority,  the 
"  Dhamapadam,"  or  "  Footsprints  of  the  Law,"  which  is  a  collec- 
tion of  Aphorisms.  These,  as  well  as  "Westergard's  labors,  we  owe 
to  the  praiseworthy  encouragement  of  the  Danish  Government. 

We  give  the  following,  selected  from  THE  THREE  THOUSAND 
BUDDHA  PROVERBS  : 

Though  a  thousand  words  should  range  themselves  in  the  empty 
swell  of  thy  speech. 

Far  better  is  one  speech  full  of  meaning  that  shall  give  one  man 
rest. 

Though  a  thousand  words  the  hymn  should  number  in  the 
empty  swell  of  thy  words. 

Far  better  is  a  single  word  that  shall  bring  rest  to  one  man. 

He  who  should  conquer  in  battle  ten  times  a  hundred  thousand 
were  indeed  a  hero. 

But  truly  a  greater  hero  is  he  who  has  but  once  conquered 
himself. 

To  conquer  one's  self  is  a  greater  victory  than  to  gain  a  battle : 


20  APPENDIX. 

The  victory  of  him  who  tames  himself,  who  at  all  times  knows 
how  to  rule  himself. 

Neither  God  nor  Gandava,  neither  Mara  nor  yet  Brahma,  can 
frustrate  such  a  victory,  obtained  by  such  a  man. 

Though  one  should  offer  a  thousand  sacrifices  every  month,  and 
offer  them  for  a  hundred  years. 

He  who  for  only  one  moment  contemplates  himself  in  utter 
repose, — that  is  repose  of  conscience, — he  has  performed  a  better 
act  of  devotion  than  by  a  hundred  years'  sacrifices. 

And  though  one  should  keep  the  sacred  flame  alight  for  a  hun- 
dred years  in  a  forest. 

He  who  for  only  one  moment  contemplates  himself  in  utter 
'  repose. 

His  one  act  of  devotion  is  better  than  a  hundred  years'  sacrifices. 

Whatever  sacrifices  the  whole  world  might  offer  in  a  year. 

Whatever  sacrifice  any  might  offer  in  the  hope  of  reward. 

That  all  is  not  worth  one-quarter  so  much,  as  he  who  cherishes 
reverence  for  the  virtuous. 

He  who  cherishes  reverence  in  his  heart,  and  ever  honors  his 
superiors,  to  him  shall  be  ever  added  these  four  gifts : 

Long  Life,  Beauty,  Joy,  Power. 

He  who  lives  in  lust  for  a  hundred  years,  ever  unquiet  in  his 
heart. 

Much  better  is  a  single  day  of  a  temperate  thoughtful  life. 

He  who  lives  in  folly  for  a  hundred  years,  ever  restless. 

Much  better  is  a  single  day  of  meditation  upon  wisdom. 

He  who  lives  a  hundred  years,  faint-heartedly,  without  energy 
of  mind. 

Much  better  is  a  single  day  used  with  firm  will  and  energy. 

He  who  lives  a  hundred  years,  not  reflecting  on  the  origin  and 
end  of  life. 

Much  better  is  a  single  day  of  him  who  marks  its  origin  and 
end. 

He  who  lives  a  hundred  years,  and  does  not  behold  the  path  to 
immortality. 

Much  better  is  a  single  day  of  him  who  descries  that  path. 

He  who  lives  a  hundred  years  and  never  discerns  the  loftiness 
of  the  Law. 

Much  better  is  a  single  day  of  him  who  beholds  the  heights  of 
that  same. 


BUDDHISM.  21 

He  who  is  invincible,  whom  no  one  in  this  world  has  power  to 
restrain. 

Buddha,  whose  glance  explores  the  Infinite. 

Buddha,  the  Trackless,  what  track  shall  lead  you  to  behold 
him? 

He  whom  no  lust  can  ensnare,  whom  none  can  allure  to  his 
soul's  poison. 

The  gods  themselves  envy  those  who  never  grow  faint  and 
weary  of  heart. 

But  rejoice  in  continual  repose,  full  of  remembrance  the  enlight- 
ened one's. 

Man's  birth  is  full  of  trouble,  and  full  of  toil  is  his  life  also. 

Toilsome  it  is  to  hearken  to  true  teaching,  very  toilsome  is  the 
beginning  of  true  enlightenment. 

Not  to  do  evil,  to  leave  nothing  good  undone,  to  keep  the 
course  of  our  thought  ever  pure. 

This  is  commanded  to  Buddhas. 

The  best  prayer  is  patience,  ever  gentle. 

To  Buddhas  Nirvana  is  the  name  of  that  which  is  alone  good. 

No  tamer  of  his  senses  will  he  become  who  smites  another. 

No  penitent  he  who  does  harm  to  his  neighbor. 

To  refrain  at  all  times  from  angry  words,  and  never  to  do 
another  injury. 

To  observe  temperance  in  eating  and  in  sleeping  on  a  lonely 
couch. 

To  live  in  profoundest  meditation,  lo !  this  is  enjoined  on  the 
Buddhas. 

A  shower  of  wealth  will  not  suffice  to  our  desires ;  little  joy 
will  covetous  desires  bring  thee,  but  many  sorrows,  and  wise  is 
he  who  understands  this. 

Not  even  revelling  with  the  gods  will  give  joy  to  a  truly  wise 
man. 

He  who  is  truly  wise,  rejoices  only  in  this,  that  desire  is  dead 
within  him. 

Men  who  are  still  enslaved  to  fear  seek  many  ways  of  refuge. 

They  flee  to  mountain  and  forest,  and  resort  for  shelter  to 
sacred  trees. 

But  that  is  no  sure  sanctuary,  the  highest  refuge  it  never  is. 

Never  will  that  man  be  freed  from  pain  who  chooses  such  for 
his  refuge. 


22  APPENDIX. 

He  who  dutifully  honors  the  men  that  are  of  quiet  spirit  and 
without  fear. 

That  is  verily  a  good  work,  that  can  never  be  too  highly 
esteemed. 

He  who  has  put  off  sin  is  called  good. 

He  who  leads  a  silent  life. 

He  who  is  free  from  self-love  is  called  a  tamer  of  the  senses. 

He  whose  body,  words  and  heart,  are  altogether  without  sin ; 
he  who  holds  these  three  in  rein,  yea,  him  do  I  call  good. 

He  who  has  discerned  the  true  meaning  of  the  law  of  piety. 

Let  him  reverence  it  evermore. 

What  will  jewelled  hair  profit  thee,  0  fool,  or  garments  set  with 
costly  fur  ? 

Unclean  hast  thou  left  thy  heart,  while  decking  thy  outside. 

He  who  hast  burst  all  fetters  and  trembles  before  nothing,  the 
unshackled,  the  truly  free,  him  do  I  call  wise. 

The  sage  whose  clear  vision  beholds  high  things,  discerning  the 
true  path  and  the  false  path. 

Who  has  climbled  to  the  heights  of  all  things,  him  do  I  call  a 
Brahmaiia. 

He  who  will  not  punish  a  beast  that  is  weak,  who  will  not  strike 
or  suffer  others  to  strike  one  that  is  strong,  him  do  I  call  a  Brah- 
mana. 

He  who  when  assailed  does  not  resist,  but  speaks  mildly  to  his 
tormentors. 

He  who  grudges  nothing  to  those  who  grudge  him  all,  him  alone 
I  call  a  Brahmana. 

He  who  has  put  from  him  desire  and  hatred,  pride  and 
hypocrisy. 

As  a  grain  that  flies  from  the  point  of  an  arrow,  him  do  I  call 
a  Brahmana. 

He  whose  speech  is  gentle,  truthful,  and  ever  instructive. 

He  who  never  utters  a  harsh  word,  him  only  do  I  call  a 
Brahmana. 

He  who  strives  not  to  obtain  aught  for  himself,  who  never 
doubts  after  he  has  once  perceived  the  truth,  he  who  has  come  to 
know  immortality,  him  alone  do  I  call  a  Brahmana. 

He  who  is  pure  as  the  moon,  whose  even  spirit  naught  can 
ruffle,  who  has  quenched  all  lusts,  him  do  I  call  a  Brahmana. 


BUDDHISM.  23 

He  who  has  cast  behind  him  all  lusts,  and  wanders  harmless 
abroad. 

He  who  has  quenched  his  lusts,  him  only  do  I  call  a  Brahmana. 

The  Noble  one,  standing  like  a  stately  bull,  the  Hero,  the  Seer, 
free  from  all  lust,  the  Pure,  the  Wise,  him  only  do  I  call  a  Brah- 
mana. 

The  whole  life  and  labors  of  this  wonderful  man  are  in  perfect 
harmony  He  did  not  enter  into  open  hostility  with  the  estab- 
lished religion,  as  regards  the  ancient  rites  connected  with  the 
worship  of  fire. 

Buddha  prescribes  to  every  disciple  and  follower,  certain  initial 
commands,  of  which  four  are  purely  ethical,  and  the  fifth  a  per- 
fectly general  injunction  to  temperance.  Here  is  the  text:  — 

I.  Not  to  kill  that  which  has  life. 
II.  Not  to  steal. 

III.  Not  to  commit  any  unchaste  act. 

IV.  Not  to  lie. 

V.  To  drink  no  intoxicating  liquor. 

Only  in  later  times  were  these  expanded  into  ten,  and  then  into 
fifteen  commandments,  by  the  addition  of  precepts  about  externals. 
That  he  did  not  wish  to  have  the  third  commandment  obeyed  after 
the  fashion  of  Origen,  is  shown  by  a  fine  saying  forming  the 
twenty-ninth  of  his  forty-two  Theses. 

"If  the  spirit,  which  is  the  Master,  be  kept  under  control,  it 
follows  of  itself  that  his  servants  will  also  be  restrained.  What 
does  it  avail  if  the  power,  but  not  the  wish,  to  do  wrong,  be  van- 
quished ?  " 

How  strongly  he  was  opposed  to  bodily  austerities  is  proved  by 
this  sentence  in  his  first  sermon  : 

"He  who  desires  to  become  an  object  of  respect  (Arya)  must 
beware  of  two  things,  of  sinful  lusts,  and  of  the  bodily  austerities 
of  the  Brahmans." 

Unregenerated,  isolated,  is  every  one  who  remains  subject  to  his 
desires,  whether  he  be  a  laymen  or  an  Arya.  The  oldest  compre- 
hensive formula  of  the  Buddhist  faith  which  has  been  found  under 
an  ancient  Buddha  pyramid  in  India,  on  innumerable  inscriptions, 
and  which  regularly  forms  the  conclusion  of  the  sacred  books,  and 
in  Ceylon,  as  well  as  in  Burmah  and  Thibet,  all,  even  women  and 
children,  know  by  heart,  is  this : 


24  APPENDIX. 

"The  states  of  all  beings  which  proceed  from  a  cause,  the  cause 
thereof  has  the  Blessed  One  declared  ;  what  can  heal  these  states 
has  the  Hermit  also  declared." 

What  \\c  have  translated  States  or  Conditions  is  called  in  San- 
scrit, Dharma,  in  Pali,  Dhamma;  and  signifies  originally  Law> 
Duty  ;  and  in  a  secondary  sense,  that  which  exists  as  a  legitimate, 
necessary  consequence  of  a  cause;  hence,  a  condition  of  being.  If 
we  ponder  this  simple  aphorism  we  see  that  it  involves  the  "four 
venerable  Truths,"  which  form  the  substratum,  laid  by  Buddha's 
own  hand,  of  the  later  metaphysical  erections  :  — 

Existence  is  suffering  (pain.) 

Suffering  is  seen  to  be  the  necessary  consequence  of  causes. 

To  this  suffering  an  end  ought  to  be  put. 

To  this  end  there  is  a  means,  and  this  also  has  Buddha  taught. 

THE  SUTRA  OF  THE  FORTY-TWO  SAYINGS  OF  BUDDHA. 
• 

There  are  ten  modes  in  which  men  may  practice  virtue,  or 
contrariwise,  vice.  Of  these  ten  vices,  three  have  reference  to  the 
body,  four  to  the  speech,  three  to  the  mind.  The  three  vices  of 
the  body  are  ;  murder,  theft,  and  unchastity.  Those  of  speech  are ; 
lying,  talking  nonsense,  harsh  words,  false  witness;  of  the  mind; 
avarice,  malice,  stupid  unbelief  in  the  three  precious  truths, 
together  with  the  cherishing  of  false  opinions. 

When  men  have  done  many  wrong  things  without  feeling 
repentance,  the  fruit  of  the  evil  that  they  have  gradually  heaped 
together  in  themselves  will  come  to  ripeness  ;  just  as  rivers  which 
are  about  to  discharge  themselves  into  the  mighty  ocean,  and  are 
already  deep,  spread  themselves  out  wide  so  that  they  can  with 
difficulty  be  crossed.  In  men  who  perceive  when  they  have  done 
wrong  and  then  reform,  the  laws  of  virtue  gather  strength,  and 
evil  subsides  more  and  more,  so  that  they  are  able  to  come  to  the 
way  of  perfectness. 

When  wicked  men  would  fain  do  injury  to  good  ones,  it  is  as 
though  they  cast  forth  their  spittle  against  heaven.  Heaven  can- 
not be  defiled  by  their  spittle,  but  only  themselves.  In  like 
manner,  when  one  tries  to  throw  ashes  upon  another  against  the 
•wind,  and  the  dust  cannot  reach  the  other,  but  falls  back  on  him 
who  throws  it ;  so  is  he  who  shows  no  honor  to  the  good  himself, 
degraded  by  the  fact  that  he  wished  to  injure  a  good  man. 


BUDDHISM.  25 

In  the  world  there  are  twenty  things  which  are  difficult,  viz  :  it 
is  difficult  to  confer  a  gift  when  one  is  poor ;  difficult  to  learn  the 
way  (the  true  religion  of  Buddha)  when  one  is  rich :  difficult  to 
renounce  life  through  the  power  of  the  Spirit ;  difficult  to  descry 
the  law  of  the  excellent  doctrine  ;  difficult  to  be  born  again  in  the 
region  where  true  Buddhas  come  into  being  ;  difficult  to  have  no 
desire  when  one  has  looked  on  something  pleasant;  difficult  it  is 
for  the  powerful  not  to  make  use  of  his  power ;  difficult  not  to  be 
angry  with  those  who  revile  us ;  difficult  to  set  about  a  work  when 
one  has  no  clear  idea  of  it ;  difficult  to  arrive  at  perfection,  even 
when  one  has  learned  much  about  it ;  difficult  not  to  despise  those 
who  have  learnt  nothing;  difficult  to  conquer  self-seeking  pride; 
difficult  to  meet  with  a  friend  of  virtue  ;  difficult  to  learn  the  way, 
when  one  knows  the  self-will  of  one's  own  heart ;  difficult  to  sus- 
tain a  collision  unmoved ;  difficult  to  put  in  practice  the  means 
conformable  to  wisdom ;  difficult  to  act  in  consonance  with  nature ; 
difficult  to  attain  to  equanimity  ;  difficult  not  to  speak  of  that 
which  has  to  be  done  and  to  be  avoided. 

What  is  the  highest  virtue  !  To  keep  one's  feet  in  the  way  is 
the  highest  virtue.  What  is  the  chief  greatness?  To  act  in 
accordance  with  the  laws  of  wisdom  is  the  chief  greatness.  Who 
is  the  chief  of  the  powerful  ?  He  who,  while  he  himself  is  full  of 
toleration,  commits  no  sinful  act,  men  will  assuredly  honor.  Who 
is  pre-eminently  enlightened  ?  He  who  is  without  spot  and  pure, 
has  no  unrighteous  courses,  is  wholly  clean,  and  who  knows  in 
every  age,  from  the  beginning  of  the  world  till  now  all  that  is  to 
be  found  in  all  the  ten  regions,  though  it  be  unknown,  invisible, 
quite  unnoticed  and  unheard,  without  desiring  the  least  thing  for 
himself;  such  an  one  is  to  be  called  enlightened. 

A  being  whose  soul  is  affected  by  passion,  cannot  perceive  the 
way  for  his  blinded  eyes.  If  you  throw  five  different  colors  into 
turbid  waters,  and  then  stir  them  up  together,  the  persons  who  look 
therein  will  be  unable  to  discern  the  reflection  of  their  bodies. 
Just  so,  those  whose  souls  are  agitated  and  obscured  by  passion,  are 
unable  to  discern  the  Way.  Those,  on  the  contrary,  who,  full  of 
faith,  confess  the  whole  string  of  their  faults,  improve  their  ways 
and  show  kindness  to  the  friends  of  virtue,  will  discern  the  Way, 
just  as  a  reflection  becomes  visible  in  water,  so  soon  as  it  is  cleansed 
from  impurities.  When  the  spots  of  the  soul  are  wholly  cleansed 
away,  apprehension  discovers  whence  she  has  come,  and  how  she 


26  APPENDIX. 

has  arisen,  and  toward  what  fields  of  Buddha  she  will  travel  after 
death,  and  at  the  same  time  she  comes  to  perceive  the  virtues  of 
the  Way. 

When  we  gaze  on  the  sky  and  the  earth,  we  ought  to  reflect  that 
they  are  not  eternal.  When  we  behold  the  hills  and  valleys,  we 
ought  to  remember  that  they  are  not  eternal.  When  we  see  th  e 
form  and  figure  of  objects  increase  and  expand,  we  ought  to  reflect 
that  they  are  not  eternal.  If  we  think  thus,  we  shall  soon  reach 
the  Way. 

Although  we  attribute  being  to  the  elementary  components  of 
the  body,  yet  have  they  nevertheless  no  real  subsistence.  For 
since  their  being  ceases  after  a  short  time,  and  does  not  endure 
forever,  they  are  like  illusory  semblances. 

It  is  with  those  beings  who,  impelled  by  passion,  strive  after 
glory,  even  as  it  is  with  the  vapor  of  a  smoker.  When  the 
vapor  of  the  tobacco  is  perceived  and  diffused  itself  abroad,  it 
cannot  continue  to  subsist  after  the  tobacco  is  consumed.  So  will 
those  foolish  persons  who  strive  after  the  vain  glory  of  the  world, 
and  do  not  labor  to  win  the  true  glory,  when  they  have  obtained 
that  which  they  seek  for,  be  poor  and  a  prey  to  regrets. 

Beauty  and  wealth  are  like  honey  on  the  edge  of  a  knife.  When 
little  boys  taste  it,  they  wound  their  tongue  and  feel  pain. 

He  who  yields  himself  to  passion,  is  like  a  fool  who  takes  a 
candle  and  walks  against  the  wind.  Unless  he  throw  the  candle 
away  he  will  assuredly  suffer  smart  by  his  hand  being  burnt.  He 
who  suffers  himself  to  be  carried  away  by  lust,  by  anger,  or  by 
illusion,  is  forasmuch  as  he  has  not  been  beforehand  enlightened 
by  the  Way,  like  unto  those  fools  who,  refusing  to  throw  away 
theircandle,  burn  their  hands  and  suffer  severe  pain. 

As  a  tree  that  has  fallen  into  a  river,  if  when  swept  by  the 
current  it  does  not  touch  either  shore,  if  it  be  not  caught  up  by 
men,  or  stopped  in  its  course  by  good,  or  evil  spirits,  if  moreover 
it  do  not  lie  in  a  stagnant  pool,  and  do  not  decay,  may  actually 
come  to  reach  the  ocean  ;  even  so  I  tell  you,  that  men  who,  if 
they  learn  the  Way,  are  not  befooled  by  passion,  nor  seized  by 
perverseness,  who  do  not  become  unstable,  but  strive  with  earnest- 
ness, of  a  truth  may  attain  the  Way. 

0  Shramana !  trust  not  in  your  own  hearts.  We  must  in  no 
wise  trust  to  our  own  hearts.  Exercise  watchfulness ;  do  not  be 
ensnared  by  beauty,  else  it  will  bring  you  sorrow.  You  must 


BUDDHISM.  27 

regard  an  old  woman  as  a  mother,  those  only  a  little  older  than 
yourself  as  elder  sisters,  those  younger,  as  younger  sisters. 

As  one  must  run  away  with  all  speed  if  flame  be  kindled  among 
dry  grass,  so  must  men  who  would  learn  the  Way,  cast  far  away 
from  them  all  objects  calculated  to  excite  passion. 

If  a  man  surrender  himself  to  passion,  it  brings  pain,  and  pain 
brings  fear.  If  passion  remain  far  from  him,  no  pain  springs  up  ; 
and  if  no  pain,  no  fear. 

As  iron  when  it  has  been  smelted  and  purified,  gradually 
wrought  and  refined  by  hammering,  may  be  converted  into  all 
sorts  of  vessels,  so  also  will  those  who  are  learning  the  Way,  if 
their  mind  is  gradually  freed  from  all  impurity,  and  if  they  sedu- 
lously exert  themselves,  no  doubt  attain  to  perfect  insight.  In  the 
contrary  case,  they  earn  to  themselves  vexation  ;  from  vexation 
springs  tribulation,  and  under  sharp  tribulation  they  turn  back 
from  the  Way,  thus  do  they  heap  sinful  actions  one  upon  another. 

Both  the  men  who  walk  in  the  way,  and  those  who  do  not  so, 
alike  experience  sorrow.  It  is  indeed  hard  to  measure  how  much 
suffering  a  being  has  to  undergo  from  birth  to  old  age,  and  then  in 
old  age  from  sickness  till  his  death.  But  if  the  mind  be  bewildered 
through  trouble,  and  have  heaped  sinful  acts  upon  itself,  then  the 
sufferings  that  will  befall  him  on  account  of  all  that  he  has  done 
from  his  birth  to  his  death,  cannot  be  put  in  words. 

0  Shramanas !  as  a  laden  ox  that  has  fallen  into  a  slough,  in 
spite  of  all  weariness,  struggles  out  to  one  or  the  other  side  with- 
out ever  thinking  of  rest,  so  must  a  right-minded  man  labor  for 
nothing  but  the  Way — seeing  that  the  danger  arising  from  the 
slough  of  passion  is  much  more  urgent — and  avert  from  himself 
the  pain  of  the  cycle,  [thus  the  "cycle  "  must  be  in  this  life.] 

Originally  Buddhism  was  simple,  ethical,  and  rational :  and 
hence  hostile  to  mythology,  scholasticism,  ceremonies,  and  priest- 
craft. It  was  benevolent  and  humane  in  the  highest  degree.  It 
called  all  men,  without  any  distinction  of  quality  or  position,  to 
its  fold,  opening  to  all  the  way  of  salvation,  which  it  teaches  to 
be  attainable  by  purity  of  conduct.  "  There  is  but  one  law  for 
all :  severe  punishment  for  crime,  and  great  reward  for  virtue." 
"  My  law  is  one  of  grace  for  all ;  like  heaven  affording  room  for 
men  and  women,  for  boys  and  girls,  for  rich  and  poor."  "  It  is 
difficult  to  be  rich  and  learn  the  way."  The  total  number  of 
Buddhists  is  about  290,000,000. 


28  APPENDIX. 

Right  view,  right  sense,  right  speech,  right  action,  right  position 
right  energy,  right  memory,  and  right  meditation.  "  Such  is  the 
formula  of  faith,"  found  upon  many  monuments,  as  well  as  in 
many  books.  The  essence  of  Buddhistic  morality,  is  "to  eschew 
every  thing  bad,  to  perform  every  thing  good,  to  tame  one's 
thoughts" — this  is  the  doctrine  of  Buddha. 

All  the  mythology,  sacrifices,  penances,  hierarchy,  scholasticism, 
mysticism,  which  we  find  connected  with  it,  have  been  super- 
added  in  progress  of  time,  in  different  countries,  and  under 
manifold  circumstances.  A  general  love  of  all  beings  is  its 
nucleus ;  each  animal  being  our  neighbor  or  possibly  relative.  To 
love  even  our  enemies,  to  offer  our  lives  for  animals,  to  abstain 
even  from  defensive  warfare,  to  gain  the  greatest  of  victories  by 
conquering  oneself,  to  avoid  all  vices,  to  practise  of  humility  and 
mildness,  to  be  obedient  to  superiors,  to  cherish  and  respect 
parents,  old  age,  learning,  virtuous  and  holy  men,  to  provide  food, 
shelter,  and  comfort  for  men,  and  animals,  to  plant  trees  on  the 
roads,  dig  wells,  &c. — such  are  the  moral  duties  of  Buddhists.  No 
religion  is  despised  by  them,  religious  wars  waged  against  dis- 
senters have  never  been  heard  of  among  them.  "  Honor  your  own 
faith,  and  do  not  slander  that  of  others,"  is  a  Buddhistic  maxim. 
The  persecutions  of  Christians  in  Japan,  China,  Siam,  &c.,  are 
occasioned  by  other  than  religious  causes,  being  commonly  reprisals 
against  their  intermeddling  habits.  How  different  from  the 
history  of  Christianity. 

THE  BURMESE. 

The  following  contains  the  main  features  of  the  Theology  and 
religious  precepts  which  have  been  taught  among  the  Burmese 
for  the  last  twenty-five  hundred  years. 

The  Burmese  Empire  comprises  the  tract  of  territory  bounded 
on  the  south  by  the  Indian  Ocean,  on  the  east  by  the  kingdom  of 
Siam,  on  the  west  by  Bengal,  and  on  the  north  by  the  kingdom  of 
Azen,  and  the  Chinese  Empire.  It  includes  not  only  the  kingdom 
of  Ava,  but  likewise  those  of  Pegu,  and  Aracan,  together  with  the 
pretty  states  of  Martaban,  Sarvai,  Merghi. 

According  to  the  sacred  books  and  traditions  of  the  Burmese, 
four  Gods  have  at  different  periods  appeared  in  the  present  world, 
and  have  obtained  the  state  of  Neban ;  Chaucasen,  Gonagon, 


THE  BURMESE.  29 

Gaspar  and  Godama.  It  is  claimed  by  the  Burmese  Theology 
that  the  law  of  the  last  mentioned,  (to  wit,  Godama,)  is  at  present 
obligatory  among  men.  He  obtained  the  privilege  of  divinity  at 
the  age  of  thirty-five,  when  he  began  to  promulgate  his  laws,  in 
which  employment  he  spent  forty-five  years.  Having  thus  lived 
to  the  age  of  eighty  in  the  practice  of  every  good  work,  and 
having  conferred  salvation  on  every  living  creature,  he  was 
assumed  into  the  state  of  Niban.  From  that  time  to  the  year 
1763,  there  have  passed  two  thousand  three  hundred  and  six 
years. 

Godama  spoke  and  taught  as  follows:  "  I,  a  God,  after  having 
departed  out  of  this  world,  will  preserve  my  laws  and  my  disciples 
in  it  for  the  space  of  five  thousand  years."  Having  likewise 
commanded  that  his  statue  and  relics  should  be  carefully  kept, 
and  adored  during  this  period,  he  thereby  gave  rise  to  the  custom 
of  adoring  them. 

The  books,  which  contain  the  history  of  Godama,  represent 
him  as  a  king,  who  having  laid  aside  the  ensigns  of  royalty, 
withdrew  himself  into  a  solitary  place,  put  on  the  habit  of  a 
Talapoin,  and  gave  himself  up  to  the  study  and  practice  of  virtue. 

His  merits,  united  to  his  present  generous  abdication,  procured 
for  him  at  the  age  of  thirty,  the  gift  of  divine  wisdom.  This 
consists  in  seeing  into  the  thoughts  of  all  living  beings,  in  the 
foreknowledge  of  all  future  events,  however  distant  they  may  be, 
in  the  knowledge  of  the  merits  and  demerits  of  all  men ;  in  the 
power  of  working  miracles  particularly  by  causing  fire  and  water 
to  issue  from  his  eyes  at  the  same  time,  or  fire  from  one  eye  and 
water  from  the  other;  and  finally  in  a  tender  love  toward  all 
things  living.  Among  other  prodigies  related  of  him,  we  may 
notice  the  one  said  to  have  happened  at  his  birth  ;  for  he  was  no 
sooner  born  than  he  walked  seven  paces  towards  the  north, 
exclaiming ;  "  I  am  the  noblest  and  greatest  among  men.  This  is 
the  last  time  that  I  shall  be  born  ;  never  again  shall  I  be  conceived 
in  the  womb."  . 

During  the  forty-five  years  that  he  spent  on  earth  after  becoming 
a  God,  he  was  continually  employed  in  the  promulgation  of  his 
laws,  and  it  is  said  that  through  his  preaching,  2,400,000,000 
persons  obtained  the  Niban. 

Previous  to  his  death,  he  recommended  that  his  statue  and  relics 
should  be  preserved  and  adored. 


30  APPENDIX. 

These  have  hence  become  objects  of  veneration  to  all  the 
Burmese,  wherever  they  are  met  with  ;  but  they  are  more  par- 
ticularly worshipped,  with  greater  pomp  and  by  greater  numbers 
in  the  Pagodas.  These  are  pyramidal  or  conical  buildings,  made  of 
brick,  painted  and  gilded  on  the  outside. 

In  these  temples  there  is  generally  a  niche  in  which  is  placed 
the  statue  of  Godama,  though  in  some,  both  the  niche  and  the 
statue  are  wanting.  These  are  the  public  places  of  adoration  for 
the  Burmese,  and  are  generally  set  apart  from  all  other  buildings, 
and  surrounded  by  a  wall  of  the  same  materials  as  the  Pagoda 
itself. 

But  the  laws  of  Godama  will  be  observed  upon  earth  for  the 
space  of  five  thousand  years,  reckoning  from  the  day  of  his  death, 
five  hundred  and  twenty  years  before  Christ ;  from  which  year 
therefore  the  Burmese  begin  their  era.  Of  this  period  two 
thousand  three  hundred  and  ninety  years  have  already  elapsed. 
As  soon  as  it  is  at  an  end,  the  laws  of  Godama  will  cease  to  be 
binding,  and  another  God  must  appear  to  promulgate  a  new  code 
for  the  government  of  mankind. 

The  principal, duties  of  the  Talapoins,  or  priests,  is  the  Tera,  or 
preaching  to  the  people ;  and  that  in  the  performance  of  this 
duty,  they  ought  to  propose  as  their  model  the  sermons  of  Godama. 
The  book  which  contains  them  is  called  Sottan,  or  the  rule  of  life, 
and  is  one  of  the  principal  works  which  the  Burmese  possess. 

The  following  is  the  best  of  the,  so-claimed,  true  faith. 

Is  Godama  the  only  true  God  in  the  world  ? 

Yes,  Godama  is  the  only  true  and  real  God,  who  knows  the  laws 
of  the  four  Sizza,  and  in  whose  power  it  is  to  raise  to  the  state  of 
Niban. 

For  a  thousand  years  beforehand,  the  approaching  appearance 
of  a  new  God  was  reported ;  but  previous  to  his  coming,  six 
different  pretenders,  each  with  five  hundred  disciples,  started  up, 
and  gave  themselves  out  for  Gods. 

.Did  these  false  Gods  preach  and  teach  any  laws? 

Yes,  but  what  they  taught  is  false  and  full  of  errors. 

But  when  the  true  God,  Godama,  appeared,  did  these  false  Gods 
renounce  their  doctrines  ? 

Some  renounced  and  some  did  not ;  and  many  have  remained 
obstinate  to  the  present  day.  When  Godama  saw  that  many 
persisted  in  their  errors,  he  gave  a  challenge  to  them  all,  who 


THE  BURMESE.  31 

could  work  the  greatest  miracle  under  a  mango  tree.  It  was 
accepted,  but  Godama  gained  the  victory,  at  which  the  chief  of 
the  Deitti  was  so  vexed,  that  he  threw  himself  into  a  river  with 
an  earthenware  vessel  tied  about  his  neck.  After  the  death  of 
their  leader  many  of  his  disciples  abandoned  his  false  doctrines, 
but  others  remained  obstinate  :  for  it  is  easy  to  draw  a  thorn  out 
of  the  hand  or  foot  by  means  of  the  nails  or  the  megnac,  but  it  is 
very  difficult  to  eradicate  false  doctrine  from  the  hearts  of  the 
Deitti. 

But  are  there  no  means  of  doing  it? 

Yes,  it  may  be  done  by  the  doctrine  of  Godama,  and  by  the 
lessons  of  good  men  ;  which  are  like  a  megnac,  of  great  excellence. 

And  what  are  these  lessons  and  doctrines  ? 

First,  that  all  who  kill  animals  or  do  any  thing  contrary  to  the 
ten  commandments,  are  subject  to  the  punishments  allotted  to  evil 
deeds.  Then  that  those  who  give  alms  and  practise  the  ten  good 
deeds,  adore  God,  the  law,  and  the  Talapoins,  will  enjoy  the 
blessings  attached  to  the  performance  of  good  works.  Secondly, 
that  these  two  kinds  of  works,  the  good  and  the  bad,  and  these 
alone  accompany  a  man  through  his  transmigration  in  future 
worlds,  in  the  same  way  as  a  shadow  follows  the  body  to  which  it 
belongs  ;  and  that  these  are  the  efficient  causes  of  all  the  good  and 
evil  that  happen  to  living  beings,  in  this  life  or  in  the  next ;  of 
high  and  low  birth;  of  riches  and  poverty;  of  transportation  to 
the  seats  of  the  Nat,  and  of  condemnation  to  the  state  of  animals 
or  to  hell.  These,  together  with  the  following,  are  the  revelations 
made,  and  the  precepts  taught  by  Godama.  According  to  the 
species  of  their  bad  works,  the  wicked  are  condemned  to  punish- 
ment. These  species  are  four,  according  to  the  Burmese  sacred 
books.  One  is  called  grievous,  the  other  ihree  are  venial. 

To  kill  one's  own  mother  or  father,  to  kill  a  priest  or  Talapoin, 
to  strike  or  wound  any  God,  as  Beodat  did  who  threw  a  stone 
against  the  Godama,  and  to  sow  discord  among  Talapoins,  are  the 
five  sins  that  constitute  the  grievous  class  ;  for  which  the  wicked 
will  have  to  suffer  fire  and  other  dreadful  torments,  in  one  of  the 
greater  hells,  the  whole  duration  of  a  world. 

This  species  of  sins  is  called  the  first,  because  it  is  the  first  to 
produce  its  effect :  for  although  the  individual,  who  has  committed 
one  of  these  five  sins,  may  have  done  many  good  deeds,  yet  he 


32  APPENDIX. 

cannot  receive  the  reward,  till  after  this  first  species  is  expiated, 
by  his  having  paid  the  penalty  of  that  great  sin. 

After  this  class  come  all  sins  of  habit ;  which  although  in  them- 
selves light,  are  nevertheless,  on  account  of  the  evil  habit,  con- 
sidered as  punishable  in  the  greater  hells.  The  fourth  and  last 
species  comprises  all  evil  desires,  and  these  are  expiated,  not  in 
the  greater  hells  but  in  the  minor  ones  that  surround  them. 

All  passionate,  quarrelsome,  fraudulent  and  cruel  men,  all  who 
in  their  deeds,  words  or  desires,  are  either  dishonest  or  lascivious, 
will  be  cut  to  pieces  after  death,  in  one  of  the  greater  hells  with 
instruments  of  burning  iron,  and  afterwards  exposed  to  the  most 
severe  cold;  and  the  parts  cut  off  returning  again  to  their  former 
state,  will  be  a  second  time  cut  off,  and  exposed  to  the  same  cold, 
and  in  these  alternate  torments,  they  will  pass  five  hundred  infer- 
nal years. 

All  those  who  by  signs  or  words  insult  their  relatives  or  masters, 
priests,  old  men,  or  observers  of  the  law,  and  all  who  with  nets  or 
snares  kill  animals,  will  be  condemned  to  one  of  the  greater  hells, 
there  to  be  tormented  upon  a  fiery  bed,  by  continual  lacerations 
with  red-hot  wire,  and  by  being  sawn  with  fiery  scythes  into  eight 
or  sixteen  pieces,  for  the  course  of  one  thousand  infernal  years. 

Whoever  does  not  assist  his  fellow  creatures,  those  who,  in  a 
state  of  intoxication  commit  unlawful  and  indecent  actions,  they 
who  dishonor  or  ill-treat  others,  will  have  their  bowels  burnt  up, 
by  a  flame  entering  through  their  mouths  ;  and  this  punishment 
will  last  four  thousand  infernal  years. 

Whoever  takes  away  furtively  or  by  deception,  fraud,  or  open 
force  the  property  of  others,  such  ministers  and  judges  as  receive 
bribes  for  deciding  suits  unjustly,  mandarins  and  generals  that 
desolate  the  enemy's  lands,  all  who  cheat  by  false  scales,  weights, 
or  measures,  or  who  in  any  way  appropriate  to  themselves  the 
goods  of  others,  as  well  as  all  who  steal  or  damage  things  belong- 
ing to  priests  and  to  Pagodas,  etc.  all  such  will  be  tormented  in 
one  of  the  greater  hells,  by  fire  and  smoke  ;  which  penetrating 
through  the  eyes  and  mouth  and  all  the  other  inlets  of  the  body, 
will  burn  them  alive  for  the  course  of  eight  thousand  infernal 
years. 

Those  who  sell  wines  or  poisons,  or  set  fire  to  villages,  cities  or 
woods,  in  order  to  destroy  animals,  those  who  with  poison  or  arms, 
or  enchantments  cause  men  to  perish  ;  all  these  after  death,  being 


\HE  BURMESE.  33 

hurled  headlong  from  a  very  high  mountain,  will  be  received  on 
the  point  of  a  red  hot  spit,  and  cut  in  pieces  by  the  infernal 
ministers  with  swords  and  spears :  and  this  punishment  will  last 
sixteen  thousand  infernal  years. 

All  who  honor  not  their  parents,  masters  and  old  men ;  all  who 
drink  wine  or  other  inebriating  liquors ;  all  who  corrupt  the 
waters  of  lakes  or  wells,  or  break  up  the  roads ;  all  dishonest 
dealers;  they  who  speak  bitterly  and  impatiently,  or  beat  with  their 
hands  or  with  sticks  ;  those  who  despise  the  counsel  of  honest  men, 
and  afflict  their  neighbor ;  evil-speakers,  detractors,  the  passionate 
and  envious;  such  as  injure  others,  or  torment  them  by  putting  them 
in  chains;  all  who  in  word,  deed,  or  desire  are  guilty  of  evil; 
lastly,  those  who  afflict  the  sick  with  harsh  words  will  be  con- 
demned to  these  minor  places  of  punishment,  to  be  there  tortured, 
in  proportion  to  the  heinousness  of  their  offences  and  evil  habits. 
Besides  these  hells,  there  is  another,  consisting  of  an  immense  caul- 
dron, full  of  melted  copper,  to  ascend  and  descend  which  from  one 
surface  to  the  other,  requires  three  thousand  years.  To  this  task 
are  condemned  the  lascivious,  that  is  to  say,  those  who  violate  the 
wives,  daughters  or  sons  of  others ;  and  those  who  through  life 
despising  acts  of  charity  and  the  observance  of  holidays,  give  them- 
selves up  to  drunkenness  and  excess.  Those  equilateral  spaces  full 
of  very  cold  water,  are  also,  according  to  the  Burmese  books  so 
many  hells;  to  which  are  condemned  all  who  offend  or  insult  their 
parents  or  the  observers  of  the  law. 

Every  one  may  gain  merit  or  demerit,  according  to  his  works, 
and  so  pass  to  a  superior  or  inferior  situation. 

Rape,  highway  robbery,  murder,  and  arson,  are  considered  the 
principal  capital  offences. 

False  witnesses,  who  assert  anything  from  passion,  and  not  from 
love  of  truth ;  (and  those  who  affirm  what  they  have  neither  seen 
nor  heard),  are  severely  punished  with  death. 

Every  species  of  good  works,  such  as  alms-deeds,  chastity, 
charity,  kindness,  diligenco,  patience,  justice,  magnanimity,  love 
and  moderation,  is  enjoined,  all  who  adore  God  and  the  law,  will 
enjoy  the  blessings  attached  to  the  performance  of  good  works. 

Good  and  bad  works  accompany  a  man  through  future  worlds, 
and  are  the  efficient  causes  of  all  the  good  and  evil  that  happen 
to  living  beings  in  this  life,  or  in  the  next. 


34  APPENDIX. 

We  are  forbidden  to  kill  any  living  thing,  to  steal;  to  violate  tho 
wives  or  concubines  of  another;  to  tell  lies  or  to  deceive;  and  to  use 
wine,  opium,  or  any  intoxicating  liquor — also,  to  covet  our  neigh- 
bor's goods,  to  envy,  and  to  wish  misfortune  or  death  to  others. 

Whosoever  abstains  from  all  these  evil  deeds  will  increase  in 
virtue,  till,  at  length,  he  will  obtain  the  perfect  happiness  of  Niban. 

Admit  of  no  unlawful  act,  even  though  it  be  sought  to  be  com- 
mitted in  secret;  by  the  observance  of  which,  a  man  is  preserved 
from  evil-doing. 

Searching  after  the  means,  by  which  the  hearts  of  creatures  may 
put  off  all  evil  inclinations. 

Thee,  therefore,  do  we  supplicate,  who  alone  knowest  all  these 
things  to  reveal  them  to  us. 

To  whom  the  God  replied,  know,  that  to  keep  far  from  the  com- 
pany of  the  ignorant ;  to  be  always  in  the  society  of  the  learned ; 
and  to  give  respect  and  honor  to  whom  they  are  due ;  overcoming 
any  inordinate  affection  ;  by  the  choice  of  a  place  of  abode  proper 
to  one's  station,  and  adapted  for  satisfying  all  the  common  wants 
of  life ;  by  having  always  in  store,  some  merit  acquired  in  a  for- 
mer life ;  and  by  ever  maintaining  in  one's  own  person  a  prudent 
carriage  ;  the  comprehension  of  all  things  that  are  not  evil ;  the 
knowledge  of  the  duties  of  one's  state  of  life ;  and  the  observance 
of  piety  and  modesty  in  words ;  these  are  most  excellent  means  by 
which  we  may  renounce  all  wicked  actions. 

By  ministering  to  one's  father  and  mother  proper  sustenance, 
by  providing  for  one's  wife  and  children,  by  the  purity  and 
honesty  of  every  action  ;  by  alms-deeds,  by  the  observance  of  divine 
precepts;  by  succoring  in  their  necessities  those  who  are  united  to 
us  by  the  ties  of  kindred ;  by  everything  else  in  which  there  is  no 
sin  ;  by  all  these  means  may  we  be  preserved  from  evil  deeds. 

By  such  a  freedom  from  all  faults,  that  not  even  the  inferior 
part  of  the  soul  manifest  any  affection  for  them,  by  the  abstinence 
from  all  intoxicating  drinks ;  by  the  never-failing  practice  of  works 
of  piety ;  by  showing  respect  to  all  ;  by  being  humble  before  all;  by 
sobriety  ;  by  gratitude  to  our  benefactors ;  and  finally  by  listening 
from  time  to  time  to  the  preaching  of  the  word  of  God ;  by  these 
means  may  we  overcome  our  inclinations,  and  keep  ourselves  from 
sin. 

The  virtue  of  patience  ;  docility  in  receiving  the  admonitions  of 
good  men  ;  frequent  visits  to  priests ;  spiritual  conferences  on  the 


THE  BURMESE.  35 

divine  laws;  frugality  and  modesty  in  our  exterior;  the  observance 
of  the  letter  of  the  law  ;  having  ever  before  our  eyes  the  state  into 
which  living  creatures  will  pass  after  death;  and  finally,  the  media- 
tion of  the  happy  reposes  of  the  Niban,  these  are  all  distinguished 
precepts  for  preserving  man  from  wickedness. 

That  intrepidity  and  serenity  of  mind,  which  good  men  preserve 
amid  the  calamities  of  life,  in  abundance  and  want,  in  censure  and 
praise,  in  joy  and  distress,  in  popularity  and  abandonment ;  the 
absence  of  all  fear  or  inquietude  of  heart  ;  the  freedom  from  the 
dark  mist  of  concupiscence  :  these  are  rare  gifts  that  remove  a  man 
far  away  from  all  affection  to  evil. 

Imprint  well  upon  your  heart  the  precepts  I  have  just  delivered; 
let  them  be  deeply  rooted  there,  and  see  to  put  them  in  executiou, 
also  hospitality  to  our  guests,  and  to  travellers,  ministering  to  the 
wants  of  the  sick,  and  in  times  of  scarcity  to  those  of  all  persons. 

But  all  these  are  surpassed  in  merit  by  the  adoration  of  God  and 
the  law. 

Godama  confirmed  all  these  his  precepts,  and  added  that  the 
real  adoration  of  God  does  not  consist  in  offering  him  rice,  flowers 
or  sandal  wood,  but  in  the  observance  of  his  laws. 

All  who  aspire  to  perfection  must  be  careful  to  avoid  the  works 
which  do  hurt  to  living  creatures ;  by  thus  flying  away  from  evil, 
and  ever  seeking  to  acquire  merit  in  this  life,  as  well  as  in  future 
ones,  they  will  at  length  attain  to  the  Niban. 

The  words  that  do  hurt  to  living  creatures,  are  murder,  theft, 
deceit  and  adultery. 

All  those  committed  by  judges,  when  on  accpunt  of  presents, 
consanguinity  or  friendship,  they  decide  unjustly,  when  through 
hatred  to  the  party  who  has  reason  on  his  side ;  they  pronounce 
against  him,  and  finally  when  through  fear  or  respect  of  persons, 
as  of  mandarins,  or  rich,  or  powerful  men,  they  commit  injustice. 
Those  offenders  also,  are  here  comprised,  who  do  not  divide  pro- 
perty equally  as  they  ought,  through  love,  fear  or  hatred. 

Besides  this,  a  man  must  refrain  from  the  things  that  are  called 
ruinous;  which  are,  the  love  of  intoxicating  liquors,  the  custom 
of  wandering  about  the  streets  at  unseasonable  hours,  too  great  a 
passion  for  dancing,  games  and  spectacles,  gaming,  frequenting 
vicious  company,  lastly,  slothfulness  and  negligence  in  the  per- 
formance of  one's  duty. 

For  from  these  spring  six  great  evils. 


36  APPENDIX. 

Drunkenness  is  the  cause  of  loss  of  goods  and  reputation,  of 
quarrels,  diseases,  immodesty  of  dress,  disregard  of  honor  ;  unsea- 
sonable wanderings  expose  a  man  to  great  dangers,  and  by  keeping 
him  from  his  family,  oblige  him  to  leave  the  chastity  of  his  wife 
and  daughter  unprotected  ;  and  moreover,  his  possessions  are  thus 
liable  to  depredations. 

A  passion  for  shows  draws  a  man  from  his  occupation,  and  hin- 
ders him  from  gaining  his  livelihood. 

In  gaming,  success  is  followed  by  intrigues  and  quarrels;  loss,  by 
bitterness  and  sorrow  of  heart ;  as  well  as  dilapidation  of  fortune; 
the  gamester  is  incapacitated  by  law  to  give  testimony. 

Finally,  frequenting  the  company  of  the  vicious  will  lead  a  man 
into  the  houses  of  women  of  ill-fame,  into  drunkenness  and  glut- 
tony, into  deceit  and  robbery,  and  all  kinds  of  disorders. 

Godama  denounced  the  following :  making  show  of  friendship 
without  having  its  reality,  professing  a  love  which  they  do  not  feel, 
giving  little,  that  they  may  receive  much,  and  being  friends  to  a 
man  only  because  he  is  rich,  or  because  they  have  need  of  his  favor. 

Real  friends,  are  those  who  are  such  both  in  adversity  and  pros- 
perity ;  those  who  give  good  advice  on  proper  occasions,  even  at 
the  peril  of  their  lives ;  those  who  take  care  of  things  that  belong 
to  him  whom  they  love ;  those  who  teach  a  man  what  is  good,  who 
are  delighted  in  his  prosperity,  and  sorrowful  in  his  misfortunes. 

Children  are  in  particular  obliged  to  respect  their  parents,  and 
to  listen  to  their  words  and  advice. 

Parents  on  the  other  hand  with  respect  to  their  children,  must 
keep  them  far  from  all  wickedness,  procure  that  they  always  have 
good  companions,  they  must  instruct  them,  and  teach  them  to  give 
alms,  and  do  other  pious  works,  and  when  they  have  arrived  at 
the  proper  age,  be  careful  to  marry  them. 

The  husband  should  speak  to  his  wife  respect  fully,  should  not 
ill-treat  her,  should  not  desert  her  to  live  with  another  woman. 

A  master  should  adapt  the  labors  of  his  slaves  to  their  strength 
and  capacities,  should  give  them  their  maintenance,  should  treat 
them  well,  but  particularly  be  attentive  to  them  when  sick. 

Slaves  should  look  to  tjie  interests  of  their  masters  in  their 
labors,  and  take  nothing  but  what  is  allowed  them. 

We  should  divide  our  goods  and  share  them  with  the  poor ;  for 
the  poor  are  our  companions  in  the  journey  to  a  future  life.  Alms 
done  by  a  poor  man  is  of  greater  merit  than  of  a  rich  one. 


THE  BURMESE.  37 

The  only  faithful  companions  who  will  not  desert  us  in  the  life 
to  come,  are  our  good  deeds ;  and  the  only  good  that  will  continue 
with  us  unaltered  even  to  old  age,  is  the  observance  of  the  law,  for 
this  no  thief  can  take  away. 

Godama  exhorts  to  lay  aside  every  sentiment  of  pride ;  not  to 
let  the  affections  be  occupied  by  this  world  ,  not  to  give  ourselves 
up  to  the  pleasures  of  sense,  but  to  aspire  to  Niban  alone.  Having 
what  is  sufficient  to  satisfy  our  hunger  to-day,  we  should  not  think 
of  to-morrow ;  and  that  having  one  coat,  we  should  not  wish  for 
another. 

He  admonishes  not  to  look  upon  indecent  objects,  not  to  listen  to 
lascivious  song,  not  to  give  way  to  murmuring,  not  to  exceed  in 
the  pleasures  of  the  palate  and  to  restrain  the  hands  from  unlawful 
touches,  and  to  observe  modesty  in  our  exterior. 

Those  who  pride  themselves  in  their  birth,  or  in  their  possessions 
can  never  reach  to  the  Niban.  All  must  observe  modesty  in  their 
five  bodily  senses;  they  must  not  run  after  feasts  and  such  vanities; 
they  must  not  make  use  of  any  species  of  vain  and  idle  words;  they 
must  not  take  delight  in  thinking  of  anything  unlawful;  they  must 
extinguish  in  themselves  all  evil  inclinations;  they  must  not  be 
scrupulous  and  irresolute  in  acting ;  they  must,  above  all  things  be 
assiduous  in  prayer  and  meditation  :  they  must  not  seek  after  mag- 
nificence and  superfluity ;  they  must  fly  from  sloth,  lying,  immod- 
erate laughter,  vain  joy,  and  play ;  they  must  abhor  sorcery,  and 
not  give  credit  to  dreams ;  when  abused  or  derided,  they  must  not 
give  way  to  anger,  and  when  praised,  must  not  be  puffed  up ;  they 
must  not  envy  others  their  dress  ;  they  must  not  flatter  benefactors 
to  draw  alms  from  them,  nor  preach  sermons  in  which  they  display 
their  desire  of  them  ;  they  must  not  admit  of  any  bitterness  or  acri- 
mony in  talking,  nor  deride,  nor  despise,  nor  injure  others;  they 
ought  to  accommodate  themselves  to  the  opinions  of  others  not  to 
give  occasion  for  dissension ;  ought  never  to  consent  to  any  bad 
thoughts ;  and  he  who  does  consent  to  them,  and  take  pleasure  in 
them,  shows  that  he  has  no  fear  of  sinning,  and  is  therefore  in  a 
etate  of  sinful  cowardice. 

But  he  who  does  not  consent  to  such  thoughts,  truly  eseks  after 
sanctity. 

All  are  once  more  recommended  to  shun  vanity,  to  observe  mod- 
esty, and  to  consider  that  good  works  are  our  only  hopes  and  oar 
only  true  friends,  and  thus  the  heart  will  be  fixed  in  doing  all  that 
is  good. 


33  APPENDIX. 

He  who  speaks  sweetly  and  with  affability  will  have  many 
friends ;  but  he  whose  words  are  bitter  will  have  few  or  none. 

In  judging  causes,  the  testimony  of  persons  respectable  by  their 
state  in  life,  and  their  wisdom,  disinterested,  and  who  believe  in 
the  merit  of  good  works ;  ought  to  be  received. 

If  a  husband  surprise  a  man  in  adultery  with  his  wife,  he  may 
lawfully  kill  him. 

THE  HINDOOS. 

In  the  following,  will  be  found  the  main  features  of  Hindu  the- 
ology and  religious  teachings. 

The  Vedas,  which  are  the  Hindu  Scriptures,  and  of  which  there 
are  four,  the  Rig,  Yagust,  Saman,  and  Atharvan,  are  asserted  to 
have  been  revealed  by  Brahma. 

They  are  based  upon  an  acknowledgment  of  a  universal  Spirit 
pervading  all  things.  Of  this  God  they  therefore  necessarily 
acknowledge  the  unity :  "  There  is  in  truth  but  one  Deity,  the 
Supreme  Spirit,  the  Lord  of  the  universe,  whose  work  is  the  uni- 
verse. The  God  above  all  gods,  who  created  the  earth,  the  hea- 
vens, the  waters." 

These  scriptures  convey  the  idea  that  there  is  a  pervading  spirit 
existing  every  where  of  the  same  nature  as  the  soul  of  man,  though 
differing  from  it  infinitely  in  degree. 

As  to  the  relation  between  the  Supreme  Being  and  man,  the  soul 
is  a  portion  or  particle  of  that  all-pervading  principle,  the  Univer- 
sal Intellect  or  Soul  of  the  World. 

The  three  Vedic  divinities,  Agni,  Indra,  and  Surga  are  not  to  be 
looked  upon  as  existing  independently,  for  all  spirits  are  compre- 
hended in  the  Universal  Soul.  They  do  not  authorize  the  wor- 
ship of  deified  men,  nor  of  images,  nor  of  any  visible  forms.  They 
admit  the  adoration  of  subordinate  spirits,  as  those  of  the  planets. 
They  inculcate  universal  charity — charity  even  to  an  enemy : — 
"  The  tree  doth  not  withdraw  its  shade  from  the  wood-cutter." 
In  the  Institutes  of  Menu,  a  code  of  civil  and  religious  law,  written 
about  the  ninth  century  before  Christ,  though  like  Vedas,  betray- 
ing a  gradual  origin,  the  doctrine  of  the  Divine  unity  becomes  more 
distinctly  mixed  up  with  Pantheistic  ideas.  They  present  a  descrip- 
tion of  creation,  of  the  nature  of  God  and  the  soul,  and  contain 
prescribed  rules  for  the  duty  of  man  in  every  station  of  life,  from 


THE  HINDOOS.  30 

the  moment  of  birth  to  death.  Their  imperious  regulations  in  all 
these  minute  details  are  a  sufficient  proof  of  the  great  development 
and  paramount  power  to  which  the  priesthood  had  now  attained ; 
but  their  morality  is  discreditable.  Their  abitrary  and  all-reach- 
ing spirit  reminds  one  of  the  Papal  system;  their  recommendations 
to  sovereigns,  their  authorization  of  immoralities,  recall  the  state  of 
Italian  society  as  reflected  in  the  works  of  Machiavelli.  They  hold 
learning  in  the  most  signal  esteem,  but  concede  to  the  prejudices  of 
the  illiterate  in  a  worship  of  the  Gods  with  burnt  offerings  of  clari- 
fied butter  and  libations  of  the  juices  of  plants.  They  make  a 
Brahman  the  chief  of  all  created  things. 

In  their  essential  principles  the  Institutes  follow  the  Vedas, 
though,  as  must  be  the  case  in  every  system  intended  for  men  in 
the  various  stages  of  intellectual  progress  from  the  least  advanced 
to  the  highest,  they  show  a  leaning  toward  popular  delusions. 

A  new  ritual,  instead  of  the  Vedas,  has  come  into  use,  these 
scriptures  being  the  eighteen  Puranas,  composed  between  the 
eighth  and  sixteenth  centuries.  They  contain  theogonies,  accounts 
of  the  creation,  philosophical  speculations,  fragmentary  history, 
and  may  be  brought  to  support  any  sectarian  view,  having  never 
been  intended  as  one  general  body,  but  they  are  received  as  incon- 
trovertible authority.  In  the  "  Baghavat  Gita,"  the  text  book  of 
the  modern  school,  the  sole  essential  for  salvation  is  dependence 
on  some  particular  teacher,  which  makes  up  for  everything  else. 
The  efficacy  which  is  thus  ascribed  to  faith,  and  the  facility  with 
which  sin  may  be  expiated  by  penance,  has  led  to  great  mental 
perversion  and  superstition,  which  finds  its  analogy  in  the  Roman 
Church,  and  somewhat  in  all  the  churches  where  faith  in  the 
Divinity  of  Christ  is  held  as  indispensable  to  salvation. 

Christna  or  Chrisna,  also  Vishnu,  is  one  of  the  most  popular  of 
all  the  Hindoo  deities.  An  immense  number  of  legends  are  told 
respecting  him,  which  are  not  worth  recording  here,  but  the  follow- 
ing, condensed  from  the  Anacalypsis  of  Godfrey  Higgins,  will  well 
repay  perusal.  He  is  represented  as  the  son  of  Brahma  and  Maia, 
and  is  usually  called  "the  Saviour,"  or  "the  Preserver."  He, 
being  a  god,  became  incarnate  in  the  flesh.  As  soon  as  he  was 
born,  he  was  saluted  by  a  chorus  of  devatars  or  angels.  His  birth 
place  was  Mathurea.  He  was  cradled  amongst  Shepherds.  Soon 
after  his  birth  he  was  carried  away  by  night  to  a  remote  place  for 
fear  of  a  tyrant,  whose  destroyer  it  was  foretold  he  would  become, 


40  APPENDIX. 

and  who  ordered  all  male  children  to  be  slain  (an  episode  marked 
in  the  sculptures  at  Elephanta).  By  the  male  line  he  was  of  Royal 
descent,  though  born  in  a  dungeon,  which  on  his  arrival  he  illumi- 
nated, whilst  the  face  of  his  parents  shone.  Christna  spoke  as  soon 
as  he  was  born,  and  comforted  his  mother.  He  was  preceded  by  his 
brother  Ram,  who  helped  him  to  purify  the  world  of  monsters  and 
demons.  Christna  -descended  into  Hades,  and  returned  to  Vaicon- 
tha.  One  of  his  names  is  "  the  good  shepherd."  An  Indian  pro- 
phet, Nared  Saphos,  or  wisdom,  visited  him,  consulted  the  stars» 
and  pronounced  him  a  celestial  being.  Christna  cured  a  leper ;  a 
woman  poured  on  his  head  a  box  of  ointment,  and  he  cured  her  of 
disease.  He  was  chosen  king  amongst  his  fellow  cowherds.  He 
washed  the  feet  of  Brahmins,  and  when  Brahma  stole  the  sheep 
and  cowboys  of  his  father's  farm  (Nanda's)  Christna  made  a  new 
set.  Christna  had  a  dreadful  fight  with  the  serpent  Caluga.  He 
was  sent  to  a  tutor,  whom  he  astonished  with  his  learning. — 
Cbristna  was  crucified,  went  into  hell,  and  afterwards  into  heaven. 

Christina  and  his  mother  are  almost  always  represented  as 
black.  Christna's  statue  in  the  temple  at  Mathura  is  black,  and 
the  temple  is  built  in  the  form  of  a  cross  (Ptolemy  calls  the  place 
Matura  Deorum.)  As  Vishnu  he  is  painted  with  a  Parthian 
coronet  round  his  head  when  crucified.  As  Wittoba  he  is  painted 
sometimes  with  stigmata  in  his  hands,  sometimes  in  his  feet,  and 
one  of  the  pictures  representing  him  has  a  round  hole  in  the  side ; 
to  his  collar  hangs  a  heart,  and  on  his  head  is  a  Linga  yoni !  In 
another  picture  he  is  called  Ballaji,  and  is  contending  with  a 
seven-headed  cobra.  His  most  celebrated  temple  is  at  Terputty. 
The  date  of  Christna's  first  mystic  birth  is  about  six  hundred  B.  C. 

Of  the  deities  of  the  Veda,  Agni  and  Indra,  the  former  com- 
prises the  element  of  Fire  under  three  aspects.  1st.  As  it  exists 
on  earth,  not  only  as  culinary  or  religious  fire,  but  in  the  heat  of 
digestion  and  of  life  and  the  vivifying  principle  of  vegetation  ; 
2d.  As  it  exists  in  the  atmosphere,  or  mid-heaven,  in  the  form  of 
lightning ;  and  3d.  As  it  is  manifested  in  the  heavens,  as  light, 
the  sun,  the  dawn,  and  the  planetary  bodies. 

The  deification  of  INDRA  is  more  consistent,  as  he  has  no 
incongruous  functions  to  discharge.  He  is  a  personification  of 
the  phenomena  of  tha  firmament,  particularly  in  the  capacity  of 
sending  down  rain.  This  property  is  metaphorically  described  as 
a  conflict  with  the  clouds  which  are  reluctant  to  part  with  their 


THE  HINDOOS.  41 

•watery  stores,  until  assailed  and  penetrated  by  the  thunderbolt 
of  Indra. 

The  SUN,  Surya  or  Savita,  occupies  a  much  less  conspicuous 
place  in  Hindu  worship,  than  we  should  have  anticipated  from 
the  visible  magnificence  of  that  luminary,  and  his  adoration  by 
neighboring  nations. 

The  sun,  like  AGNI  and  INDRA,  is  the  giver  of  temporal  blessing 
to  his  worshippers  ;  he  is  the  source  of  light. 

The  share  of  AGNI  and  INDRA  in  the  production  of  rain,  and 
their  fierce  and  impetuous  nature,  are  figurative  representations  of 
physical  phenomena. 

The  following  is  contained  in  the  Hindu  Sacred  Writings. 

In  the  beginning  there  arose  the  source  of  golden  light.  He 
was  the  one  born  Lord  of  all  that  is.  He  'stablished  the  earth 
and  this  sky. 

He  who  gives  life,  He  who  gives  strength ;  whose  command  all 
the  bright  gods  revere  ;  whose  shadow  is  immortality. 

He  who  through  his  power  is  the  one  King  of  the  breathing  and 
awaking  world;  He  who  governs  all,  man  and  beast;  Who  is  the 
God  to  whom  we  shall  offer  our  worship-? 

He  who  by  His  might  looked  even  over  the  water-clouds,  the 
clouds  which  gave  strength  and  lit  the  sacrifice,  He  who  alone  is 
God  above  all  gods;  Who  is  the  God  to  whom  we  shall  offer  our 
worship  ? 

May  He  not  destroy  us — He  the  creator  of  the  earth ;  or  He 
the  Righteous,  who  created  the  heaven  ;  He  who  also  created  the 
bright  and  mighty  waters;  Who  is  the  God  to  whom  we  shall 
offer  our  worship  ? 

All  who  are  wise  of  heart  adore  God  the  Begetter,  bringing  him 
offerings  of  a  devout  heart  with  hymn  of  praise. 

The  air  all  around  is  full  of  the  whispering  of  the  wind,  thy 
breath.  Those  who  are  wise,  the  truthful  seers,  the  ministers  of 
sacrifice,  who  raise  on  high  the  hymn  of  praise  to  thee.  Even  to 
evil-doers  is  he  merciful ;  may  we  all  live  before  thee  without  sin, 
faithfully  observant  of  thy  eternal  laws. 

However  we  break  thy  laws  from  day  to  day,  men  as  we  are, 
OGod. 

Do  not  deliver  us  unto  death,  nor  to  the  blow  of  the  furious ;  nor 
to  the  anger  of  the  spiteful  ! 

May  he,  the  wise,  make  our  paths  straight  all  our  days ;  may 
he  prolong  our  lives  I 


42  APPENDIX. 

The  god,  whom  the  scoffers  do  not  provoke,  nor  the  tormentors 
of  men,  nor  the  plotters  of  mischief. 

Yearning  for  him,  the  far  seeing,  my  thoughts  move  onwards,  as 
kine  move  to  their  pastures. 

Be  pure  and  pious  all,  that  your  way  may  not  go  down  to  the 
house  of  death,  but  that  you  may  enjoy  length  of  days,  and 
abundance  of  treasures. 

As  days  succeed  days,  changing  seasons,  with  seasons,  lo,  give, 
0  Creator,  these  here  to  live,  that  the  younger  may  not  leave  their 
parent  desolate. 

God's  coursers  bear  on  high  the  divine  Sun  that  he  may  be  seen 
by  all  (the  worlds.) 

(At  the  approach)  of  the  all-illuminating  Sun,  the  constella- 
tions depart,  with  the  night. 

With  that  light  with  which  thou,  the  purifier  and  defender  frqm 
evil,  lookest  upon  this  creature-bearing  world. 

Indra  abides,  humbling  the  neglecters  of  holy  acts  in  favor  of 
those  who  observe  them,  and  punishing  those  who  turn  away  from 
his  worship,  in  favor  of  those  who  are  present  (with  their  praise.) 

This  adoration  is  offered  to  the  shedder  of  rain,  the  self- 
resplendent,  the  possessor  of  true  vigor,  the  mighty. 

Verily,  with  thy  bulk,  thou  fillest  ail  the  firmament :  of  a  truth 
there  is  none  other  such  as  thou. 

May  the  gods,  turning  not  away,  be  ever  with  us  for  our 
advancement. 

May  the  benevolent  favor  of  the  gods  (be  ours :)  may  the 
bounty  of  the  gods,  ever  approving  of  the  upright,  light  upon 
us  ;  may  we  obtain  the  friendship  of  the  gods. 

Let  us  hear  gods,  with  our  ears,  what  is  good  objects  of  worship, 
let  us  see,  with  our  eyes  what  is  good  :  let  us  engage  in  your 
praises. 

These  divinities  of  the  morning  have  spread  light  (over  the 
world.) 

The  deities  of  the  dawn  have  restored,  as  of  yore,  the  conscious- 
ness of  (sentient  creatures,)  and  bright-rayed,  have  attended  upon 
the  glorious  sun,  bringing  every  kind  of  food  to  the  performer  of 
good  works. 

Ushas  cuts  off  the  accumulated  (glooms.)  The  daughter  of  the 
sky  awaits  the  glorious  sun. 


THE  HINDOOS.  43 

\Ve  have  crossed  over  the  boundary  of  darkness.  Ushas  restores 
the  consciousness  (of  living  beings.)  Bright-shining,  she  smiles, 
like  a  flatterer  to  obtain  favor,  and  lovely  in  all  her  radiance,  she 
has  swallowed  for  our  delight  the  darkness. 

May  he,  of  whom  the  excellent  measure  (of  all  things,)  through 
strength,  eternally  and  every  where  cherishes  heaven  and  earth, 
propitiated  by  our  acts,  convey  us  beyond  evil. 

Ushas,  endowed  with  truth,  let  the  worker  of  iniquity  depart, 
for  we  shall  overcome  him  with  our  chariot,  through  thy  assistance. 

Let  words  of  truth  be  spoken  :  let  works  of  wisdom  (be  per- 
formed.) 

At  thy  dawning,  (Ushas,)  the  various  birds  rise  up  from  their 
nests,  and  men  who  have  to  earn  their  bread  quit  their  homes,  be 
glorified  by  this  (my)  hymn ;  graciously  disposed  towards  us, 
augment  (our  prosperity  ;)  and  may  we  obtain  goddesses,  through 
your  favor,  a  hundred  and  a  thousand  fold. 

These  wonderful  (rewards)  verily  are  for  those  who  give  (pious) 
donations :  for  the  donors  of  (pious)  gifts  the  suns  shine  in 
heaven  :  the  givers  of  (pious)  donations  attain  immortality :  the 
givers  of  (pious)  gifts  prolong  their  (worldly)  existence. 

May  those  who  propitiate  (the  gods,)  never  commit  degrading 
sin  :  may  those  who  praise  the  gods  and  observe  holy  vows,  never 
experience  decay. 

Agni,  who  gives  pleasure  (to  his  worshippers,)  being  pleased 
(himself,)  in  like  manner  as  men  follow  a  path  that  leads  to 
happiness,  who  is  the  guardian  of  all  these  treasures,  has  power 
(to  distribute  them.) 

Agni  grants  blessings  to  every  (pious)  worshipper  and  opens  for 
him  the  gates  (of  heaven.) 

Agni  is  a  most  amiable  friend  in  human  infirmity ;  the  beloved 
protector  of  all,  he  preserves  us  from  the  malignity  of  sin. 

Inasmuch  as  the  hero,  Indra,  rightly  judges  men  by  their  deeds, 
therefore  do  the  (pious ;)  (men)  worship  him,  that  by  their  own 
strength  they  may  overcome  (their  foes.) 

The  timid  and  anxious  (worshipper)  praises  thee,  who  art 
auspicious,  for  driving  (away)  thieves ;  for  thou  defendest  (us) 
from  all  beings,  (as  the  reward)  of  our  righteousness  ;  thou 
protectest  us  from  the  fear  of  evil  spirits,  (as  the  reward)  of  our 
righteousness. 


44  APPENDIX. 

Whatever  individual  offers  adoration  preserve  him  entirely 
unharmed  from  sin  ;  (preserve,  from  sin  the  mortal  who  is  sincere 
in  his  devotion,  who  offers  worship  with  praises. 

Desirous  of  happiness,  I  adore  him,  whose  protection  is  ever 
nigh ;  who  is  the  source  of  felicity ;  who,  when  devoutly  wor- 
shipped, blends  with  the  thoughts  of  all  (his  worshippers :) 
(though)  a  deity. 

Free  from  anger,  and  entitled  to  ample  praise,  be  ever  accessible 
to  us ;  be  our  leader  in  every  encounter. 

Agni,  listen  attentively  when  thou  art  praised,  by  us,  and  repeat 
(those  praises)  to  the  gods  who  are  entitled  to  worship ;  to  the 
royal  (deities)  entitled  to  worship. 

Bestow,  Agni,  upon  our  excellent  patron  a  boat  ever  fitted  with 
oars,  (one  that  may  render)  our  posterity  prosperous,  and  may 
bear  mankind  across  (the  ocean  of  life)  to  felicity. 

He,  the  searcher,  the  accessible,  has  declared  to  mortals  (the 
knowledge  of)  their  religious  duties. 

He  who  is  visible  to  all,  is  the  parent  of  that  (pious)  progeny. 
He,  who  is,  as  it  were,  the  generator  of  men  as  well  as  of  heaven 
and  earth,  of  whom    creation    has    imbibed   life,  abides  with    his 
glories. 

(I  ask  thee  to  withhold  thy  favor)  from  those  who,  acknowledging 
thee  not  as  his  lord,  is  chary  of  gifts,  and  from  him  who  rarely 
praises  (the  gods.) 

He  amongst  those  (who  are  your  followers,)  who  observes  truth, 
who  is  considerate,  who  is  commended  by  the  wise. 

The  purpose  of  worshipping  you,  is  not  the  performance,  but 
(even  by  so  much)  I  may  attain  to  your  glory,  and  there  is 
acquittance  (of  my  duty.) 

May  I  attain  his  favorite  path,  in  which  God-seeking  men 
delight ;  (the  path)  in  whose  exalted  station  there  is  a  (perpetual) 
flow  of  felicity. 

I  glorify  the  mighty  Heaven  and  Earth,  those  two,  who,  cherish- 
ing their  worshippers  as  children 

Verily  I  propitiate,  by  my  invocations,  the  mind  of  the 
benevolent  father,  and  the  great  and  spontaneous  (affection)  of 
the  mother  (of  all  beings :)  The  parents,  with  kindness,  have 
secured,  by  their  excellent  protections,  the  vast  and  manifold 
immortality  of  their  progeny. 


THE  HINDOOS.  45 

These,  your  children,  the  performers  of  good  works,  and  of 
goodly  appearance,  recognize  you  as  their  great  parents,  through 
experience  of  former  (kindness)  preserve  uninterrupted  stability 
in  the  functions  of  your  progeny,  whether  stationary  or  moving, 
(depending  for  existence)  on  none  other  than  you. 

Heaven  and  Earth,  are  the  diffusers  of  happiness  on  all,  encour- 
agers  of  truth. 

I  have  beheld  the  Lord  of  Men  with  seven  sons ;  of  which 
delightful  and  benevolent  (deity)  who  is  the  object  of  our  invoca- 
tion. 

Who  has  seen  the  primeval  (being)  at  the  time  of  his  being  born? 

Ignorant,  I  enquire  of  the  sages  who  know  (the  truth  ;)  not  as 
one  knowing  (do  I  enquire,)  for  the  sake  of  (gaining)  knowledge  ' 
what  is  that  One  alone,  who  has  upheld  these  six  spheres  in  the 
form  of  the  unborn. 

Let  him  who  knows  this  (truth)  quickly  declare  it;  the 
mysterious  condition  of  the  beautiful  ever-moving  (sun  :)  the 
rays  shed  (their)  milk  from  his  exalted  head,  investing  his  form 
with  radiance :  they  have  drunk  up  the  water  by  the  paths  (by 
which  they  were  poured  forth.) 

The  mother  (earth,)  worships  the  father,  (sun)  with  holy  rites,  for 
the  sake  of  water ;  but  he  has  anticipated  (her  wants)  in  his  mind: 

Miiller  says :  the  idea  of  revelation,  and  we  mean  more  particu- 
larly book-revelation,  is  not  a  modern  idea,  nor  is  it  an  idea 
peculiar  to  Christianity. 

Though  we  look  for  it  in  vain  in  the  literature  of  Greece  and 
Rome,  we  find  the  literature  of  India  saturated  with  this  idea  from 
beginning  to  end.  In  no  country  we  believe,  has  the  theory  of 
revelation  been  so  minutely  elaborated  as  in  India. 

According  to  the  orthodox  views  of  Indian  theologians  not  a  sin- 
gle line  of  Veda  was  the  work  of  human  authors.  The  whole 
Veda  is  in  some  way  or  other  the  work  of  the  Deity ;  and  even 
those  who  received  the  revelation,  or,  as  they  express  it,  those  who 
saw  it,  were  not  supposed  to  be  ordinary  mortals,  but  beings  raised 
above  the  level  of  common  humanity,  and  less  liable,  therefore,  to 
error  in  the  reception  of  revealed  truth.  The  views  entertained  of 
revelation  by  the  orthodox  theologians  of  India  are  far  more 
minute  and  elaborate  than  those  of  the  most  extreme  advocates  of 
verbal  inspiration  in  Europe.  The  human  element,  called  "  pau- 
rusheyatva,  "  in  Sanscrit,  is  driven  out  of  every  corner  or  hiding 


46  APPENDIX. 

place ;  and  as  the  Veda  is  held  to  have  existed  in  the  mind  of  the 
Deity  before  the  beginning  of  time,  every  allusion  to  historical 
events,  of  which  there  are  not  a  few,  is  explained  away  with  a  zeal 
and  ingenuity  worthy  of  a  better  cause. 

The  poets  of  the  Veda  speak  of  their  hymns  as  "  god-given." 
One  poet  says:  "0  god  (Indra)  have  mercy  !  Sharpen  my  mind, 
like  the  edge  of  iron.  Whatever  I  now  may  utter,  longing  for 
thee,  do  thou  accept  it;  make  me  possessed  of  God!"  Another 
utters  for  the  first  time  the  famous  hymn,  the  "  Gdyatri,"  which 
now  for  more  than  three  thousand  years  has  been  the  daily  prayer 
of  every  Brahman,  and  is  still  repeated  every  morning  by  millions 
of  pious  worshippers :  "  Let  us  meditate  on  the  adorable  light  of 
the  divine  Creator:  may  he  rouse  our  minds."  This  consciousness 
of  higher  influences  in  those  who  uttered  praise,  and  thanksgiving 
to  Him  who  made  us,  is  the  key-note  of  all  religion,  whether 
ancient  or  modern. 

The  real  history  of  man  is  the  history  of  religion — the  wonderful 
ways  by  which  the  different  families  of  the  human  race  advanced 
toward  a  truer  knowledge,  and  a  deeper  love  of  God.  This  is  the 
foundation  that  underlies  all  history :  it  is  the  light,  the  soul,  and 
life  of  history.  Man  has  but  one  history,  the  religious  and  profane 
so-called  are  but  one,  a  man's  religion  has  its  best  exponent  in  his 
every  day  conduct,  good  works  and  love  to  God  being  the  first  and 
only  religion,  theologies  and  creeds  being  but  as  chaff. 

The  whole  population  of  the  world,  has  the  same  religion  of  the 
various  theologies  and  creeds  held  in  the  several  countries.  31.2 
per  cent,  are  Buddhists,  13.4  per  cent,  are  Brahmanists,  which 
together  gives  44  per  cent,  for  what  may  be  called  living  Aryan 
religions.  Of  the  remaining  56  per  cent.,  15.7  are  Mohammedans, 
8.7  per  cent,  nondescript  heathens,  30.7  per  cent.  Christians,  and 
only  0.3  per  cent.  Jews. 

CONFUCIANISM. 

The  following  contains  some  of  the  superstitions,  worship,  and 
theology  mingled  by  the  priests  of  China,  with  the  moral  teachings 
of  Confucius;  together  with  a  short  account  of  his  early  life  and 
teachings. 

Confucius,  a  great  sage,  moralist,  and  teacher,  an  active  advo- 
cate of  the  good,  the  right,  the  true,  and  the  practice  of  love  and 


CONFUCIANISM.  47 

kind  offices  between  man  and  man,  has  been  the  object  of  adora- 
tion and  worship  in  chapels,  specially  erected  for,  and  dedicated  to 
the  purpose  throughout  the  Chinese  Empire,  for  the  last  twenty- 
three  centuries.  He  was  born  five  hundred  and  fifty-one  years 
before  Christ.  He  was  the  first  born  of  his  mother,  who  was  mar- 
ried when  she  was  quite  young  to  a  man  much  older  than  herself. 
Among  the  legends  current  connected  with  his  birth,  &c.,  are  the 
following :  During  the  pregnancy  of  his  mother,  she  dreamed  that 
she  was  to  have  a  son,  and  that  a  four  footed  beast  knelt  before 
her,  and  cast  forth  from  his  mouth  a  slip  or  gem,  on  which  was  the 
inscription — "  The  son  of  the  essence  of  water  shall  succeed  to  the 
•withering  Chow  and  be  a  throneless  King."  On  the  night  when 
the  child  was  born,  two  dragons  came  and  kept  watch  on  the  left 
and  right  of  the  hill,  and  two  spirit  ladies  appeared  in  the  air, 
pouring  out  fragrant  odors.  As  soon  as  the  birth  took  place,  a 
spring  of  clear  warm  water  bubbled  up  from  the  floor  of  the  cave, 
which  dried  up  again  when  the  child  had  been  washed  in  it.  The 
child  was  born  in  a  designated  cave,  in  obedience  to  a  previous 
dream.  The  records  which  we  have  of  Confucius'  early  years  are 
very  scant.  When  he  was  in  his  third  year  his  father  died.  It  is 
related  of  him  that  as  a  boy  he  used  to  play  at  the  arrangement  of 
sacrificial  vessels,  and  postures  of  ceremony.  Of  his  schooling,  we 
have  no  reliable  account.  He  tells  us  himself  at  fifteen  he  bent  his 
mind  to  learning,  but  the  condition  of  his  family  was  one  of  pov- 
erty. At  the  age  of  twenty  he  was  employed  as  keeper  of  the 
stores  of  grain.  In  his  twenty-second  year  he  commenced  his 
labors  as  a  public  teacher,  and  at  thirty  had  made  great  progress 
in  learning  and  wisdom,  gained  great  >and  wide-spread  fame  and 
was  surrounded  by  disciples.  The  benefit  of  his  wisdom  and  coun- 
sel was  sought  after  by  the  high  and  low,  by  Princes,  Rulers,  Stu- 
dents, and  enquirers  after  truth  of  all  classes.  So  high  was  the 
moral  tone  of  all  his  axioms,  and  so  perfectly  in  accordance  with 
man's  innate  perceptions  of  the  right  and  good  were  all  his  teach- 
ings, that  the  many  drank  them  in  with  the  same  avidity  as  they 
did  the  early  teachings  of  Christ,  before  they  were  adulterated 
with  the  theology  of  the  priests. 

The  number  of  temples  erected  to  his  memory  is  sixteen  hundred 
tnd  sixty.  One  of  them  occupies  ten  acres  of  land.  The  most 
famous  temple  in  the  Empire  now  rises  over  the  place  of  the  grave 
on  which  is  inscribed :  "  The  Perfect  Sage."  On  the  two  festivals 


48  APPENDIX. 

in  the  year  sacred  to  his  memory,  there  are  sacrificed  some  seventy 
thousand  animals  of  different  kinds,  and  twenty-seven  thousand 
pieces  of  silk  are  burned  on  his  altars.  Yet  his  religion  is  without 
priests,  liturgy,  or  public  worship,  except  on  these  two  occasions. 
Kang-he,  the  second  and  greatest  of  the  rulers  of  the  present 
dynasty,  in  the  twenty-third  year  of  his  reign,  set  the  example  of 
kneeling  thrice,  and  each  time  laying  his  forehead  thrice  in  the 
dust,  before  the  image  of  the  sage.  At  first,  the  worship  of  Confu- 
cius was  confined  to  the  country  of  Loo,  but  in  A.  D.  57  it  was 
enacted  that  sacrifices  should  be  offered  to  him  in  the  imperial  col- 
lege, and  in  all  the  colleges  of  the  principal  territorial  division 
throughout  the  empire. 

About  A.  D.  628  began  the  custom,  which  continues  to  the  pre- 
sent day,  of  erecting  temples  to  him, — separate  structures,  in  con- 
nection with  all  the  colleges,  or  examination-halls,  of  the  country. 
The  sage  is  not  alone  in  those  temples.  In  a  hall  behind  the  prin- 
cipal one  occupied  by  himself,  are  the  tablets — in  some  cases  the 
images — of  several  of  his  ancestors.  On  the  first  day  of  every 
month,  offerings  of  fruits  and  vegetables  are  set  forth,  and  on  the 
fifteenth  there  is  a  solemn  burning  of  incense.  But  twice  a  year, 
in  the  middle  months  of  spring  and  autumn,  when  the  first  "  ting" 
day  of  the  month  comes  round,  the  worship  of  Confucius  is  per- 
formed with  peculiar  solemnity.  At  the  imperial  college  the 
Emperor  himself  is  required  to  attend  in  state,  and  is  in  fact  the 
principal  performer.  After  all  the  preliminary  arrangements  have 
been  made,  and  the  Emperor  has  twice  knelt  and  six  times  bowed 
his  head  to  the  earth,  the  presence  of  Confucius'  spirit  is  invoked 
in  these  words,  "  Great  art  thou,  0  perfect  sage !  Tfiy  virtue  is 
full ;  thy  doctrine  is  complete.  Among  mortal  men  there  has  not 
been  thine  equal.  All  kings  honor  thee.  Thy  statutes  and  laws 
have  come  gloriously  down.  Thou  art  the  pattern  in  this  imperial 
school.  Reverently  have  the  sacrificial  vessels  been  set  out.  Full 
of  awe  we  sound  our  drums  and  bells." 

The  spirit  is  supposed  now  to  be  present,  and  the  service  pro- 
ceeds through  various  offerings,  when  the  first  of  which  has  been 
set  forth,  an  officer  reads  the  following,  which  is  the  prayer  on  the 
occasion :  "  On  this  ....  month  of  this  ....  year,  I,  A.  B., 
the  Emperor,  offer  a  sacrifice  to  the  philosopher  K'ung,  the  ancient 
Teacher,  the  perfect  Sage,  and  say, — 0  Teacher,  in  virtue  equal  to 
Heaven  and  Earth,  whose  doctrines  embrace  the  past  time  and  tha 


CONFUCIANISM.  49 

present,  thou  didst  digest  and  transmit  the  six  classics,  and  didst 
hand  down  lessors  for  all  generations !  Now  in  this  second  month 
of  spring  (or  autumn),  in  reverent  observance  of  the  old  statutes, 
with  victims,  silks,  spirits,  and  fruits,  I  carefully  offer  sacrifice 
to  thee.  With  thee  are  associated  the  philosopher  Yen,  continua- 
tor  of  thee ;  the  philosopher  Ysang,  exhibitor  of  thy  fundamental 
principles ;  the  philosopher  Ysze-sze,  transmitter  of  thee  ;  and  the 
philosopher  Mang,  second  to  thee.  May'st  thou  enjoy  the  offer- 
ings !" 

I  need  not  go  on  to  enlarge  on  the  homage  which  the  Emperors 
of  China  render  to  Confucius.  It  could  not  be  more  complete.  It 
is  worship  and  not  mere  homage.  He  was  unreasonably  neglected 
when  alive.  He  is  now  unreasonably  venerated  when  dead. 

At  the  present  day,  education  is  widely  diffused  throughout 
China.  In  no  other  country  is  the  school-master  more  abroad,  and 
in  all  schools  it  is  Confucius  who  is  taught.  In  many  school-rooms, 
there  is  a  tablet  or  inscription  on  the  wall,  sacred  to  the  sage ;  and 
every  pupil  is  required  on  coming  to  school  on  the  morning  of  the 
first  and  fifteenth  day  of  every  month,  to  bow  before  it,  the  first 
thing,  as  an  act  of  worship.  Thus,  all  in  China  who  receive  the 
slightest  tincture  of  learning,  do  so  at  the  fountain  of  Confucius. 
They  learn  of  him,  and  do  homage  to  him  at  once. 

During  his  life-time  he  had  three  thousand  disciples.  Hundreds 
of  millions  are  his  disciples  now.  For  two  thousand  years  he  has 
reigned  supreme,  the  undisputed  teacher  of  this  most  populous 
land.  Confucius  is  thus,  in  the  empire  of  China,  the  one  man  by 
whom  all  possible  lessons  of  social  virtue  and  political  wisdom  are 
taught. 

Confucius  did  not  trouble  himself  to  account  for  the  origin  of 
man,  nor  did  he  pretend  to  know  about  his  hereafter. 

As  to  creation,  and  the  final  destiny  of  man,  we  suggest  that,  the 
innate  consciousness  of  the  totality  of  the  human  race  is  that  the 
soul  is  immortal,  and  destined  to  an  eternity  of  more  or  less  hap- 
piness, in  proportion  as  man  discharges,  under  his  free-agency,  the 
laws  of  his  maker  which  have  relation  to  his  being,  as  they  are 
revealed  to  him. 

This  is  all  that  God  has  ever  revealed  to  man  on  the  subject, 
and  it  is  most  unquestionably  all  that  it  is  well  for  him  to  know. 
If  man  could  know  with  certainty  all  that  would  take  place  in  rela- 


50  APPENDIX. 

tion  to  his  future  life  on  earth,  it  would  entirely  unfit  him  for  hap- 
piness. 

Among  the  things  which  Confucius  taught  were  "  truthfulness, 
and  sincerity,"  which  were  celebrated  as  highly,  and  demanded  as 
stringently  by  him,  as  ever  it  has  been  by  any  Christian  moralist. 
One  of  Confucius'  disciples  asked  if  there  was  one  word  which 
would  serve  as  a  rule  of  practice  for  all  one's  life,  and  was 
answered,  "Is  not  reciprocity  such  a  word?"  What  you  do  not 
want  done  to  yourself,  do  not  unto  others. 

The  people  in  China,  as  elsewhere,  believe,  what  is  the  beginning 
and  end  of  all  wisdom,  that  the  laws  of  the  moral  Order  of  the 
world  correspond  to  the  universal  conscience. 

The  following  declarations  of  Confucius  and  others  among  the 
Chinese  were  made  five  hundred  years  before  Christ. 

The  last  years  of  the  life  of  Confucius  were  devoted  to  editing 
the  Sacred  Books,  or  Kings.  As  we  now  have  them,  they  come 
from  him.  Authentic  records  of  Chinese  history  extend  back  to 
two  thousand  three  hundred  and  fifty-seven,  B.  C.  while  the 
Chinese  philosophy  originated  with  Fuh-he,  who  lived  about  three 
thousand  three  hundred  and  twenty-seven  B.  C.  He  it  was  who 
substituted  writing  for  the  knotted  strings  which  before  formed 
the  only  means  of  record.  Confucius  edited  the  Yih-King,  the  Shoo 
King,  the  She-King,  and  the  Leke,  which  constitute  the  whole  of 
the  ancient  literature  of  China  which  has  come  down  to  posterity. 

In  Shoo-King  a  personal  God  is  addressed.  The  oldest  books 
recognize  a  Divine  person:  They  teach  that  there  is  one  Supreme 
Being,  who  is  omnipresent,  who  sees  all  things,  and  has  an 
intelligence  which  nothing  can  escape, — that  he  wishes  men  to 
live  together  in  peace  and  brotherhood.  He  commands  not  only 
right  actions,  but  pure  desires  and  thoughts  ;  that  we  should  watch 
all  our  behavior,  and  maintain  a  grave  and  majestic  demeanor, 
"  which  is  like  a  palace  in  which  virtue  resides,"  but  especially 
that  we  should  guard  the  tongue.  "  For  a  blemish  may  be  taken  out 
of  a  diamond  by  carefully  polishing  it ;  but,  if  your  words  have  the 
least  felemish  there  is  no  way  to  efface  that."  "  Humility  is  the 
solid  foundation  of  all  the  virtues."  "  To  acknowledge  one's  incapa- 
city is  the  way  to  be  soon  prepared  to  teach  others,  for  from  the 
moment  that  a  man  is  no  longer  full  of  himself,  nor  puffed  up 
with  empty  pride,  -whatever  good  he  learns  in  the  morning  he 
practises  before  night,"  "  Heaven  penetrates  to  the  bottom  of 


CONFUCIANISM.  51 

our  hearts,  like  light  into  a  dark  chamber.  We  must  conform 
ourselves  to  it,  till  we  are  like  two  instruments  of  music  tuned  to 
the  same  pitch.  We  must  join  ourselves  with  it,  like  two  tablets 
which  appear  but  one.  We  must  receive  its  gifts  the  very  moment 
its  hand  is  open  to  bestow.  Our  irregular  passions  shut  up  the 
door  of  our  souls  against  God." 

"  Man  has  received  his  nature  from  Heaven.  Conduct  in 
accordance  with  that  nature,  constitutes  what  is  right  and  true, — 
is  a  pursuing  of  the  proper  path.  The  cultivation  or  regulation 
of  that  path  is  what  is  called  instruction. 

"Man  has  received  from  Heaven  a  moral  nature  by  which  he  is 
constituted  a  law  to  himself,  over  this  nature  man  requires  to 
exercise  a  jealous  watchfulness  ;  and  as  he  possesses  it,  absolutely 
and  relatively,  in  perfection,  or  attains  to  such  possession  of  it,  he 
becomes  invested  with  highest  dignity  and  power. 

"The  way  of  the  superior  man  reaches  far  and  wide,  and  yet  is 
secret,  the  path  of  duty  is  to  be  pursued  everywhere  and  at  all 
times  while  yet  the  secret  spring  and  rule  of  it  is  near  at  hand, 
in  the  Heaven-conferred  nature,  the  individual  consciousness,  with 
which  no  stranger  can  intermeddle. 

"  When  one  cultivates  to  the  utmost  the  moral  principles  of  his 
nature,  and  exercises  them  on  the  principle  of  reciprocity,  he  is  not 
far  from  the  path.  What  you  do  not  like  when  done  to  yourself, 
do  not  do  to  others :  serve  my  father  as  I  would  require  my  son  to 
serve  me  :  serve  my  elder  brother  as  I  would  require  my  younger 
brother  to  serve  me  :  set  the  example  in  behaving  to  a  friend  as  I 
would  require  him  to  behave  to  me. 

"  Be  earnest  in  practising  the  ordinary  virtues,  and  careful  in 
speaking  about  them ;  if  in  his  practice  he  has  anything  defective, 
the  superior  man  dares  not  but  exert  himself,  and  if  in  his  words 
he  has  any  excess,  he  dares  not  allow  himself  such  license;  have 
respect  to  his  actions,  and  his  actions  have  respect  to  his  words ;  is 
it  not  just  an  entire  sincerity  which  marks  the  superior  man  ? 

"  The  duties  of  universal  application,"  those  between  husband 
and  wife,  father  and  son,  elder  and  younger  brother,  and  friends. 

The  sincere  or  perfect  man,  is  he  who  satisfies  completely  all  the 
requirements  of  duty  in  the  various  relations  of  society,  and  in  the 
exercise  of  government.  "  There  is  government  when  the  prince 
is  prince,  and  the  minister  is  minister,  when  the  father  is  father, 
and  the  son  is  son." 


52  APPENDIX. 

There  is  a  sufficient  foundation  in  nature  for  government  in  the 
several  relations  of  society,  and  if  those  be  maintained  and 
developed  according  to  their  relative  significancy,  it  is  sure  to 
obtain.  This  was  a  first  principle  in  the  political  ethics  of  Con- 
fucius. 

The  moment  the  ruler  ceases  to  be  a  minister  of  God  for  good 
and  does  not  administer  a  government  that  is  beneficial  to  the 
people,  he  forfeits  the  title  by  which  he  holds  the  throne,  and 
perseverance  in  oppression  will  surely  lead  to  his  overthrow. 

"Recompense  injury  with  justice,  and  recompense  kindness  with 
kindness.  He  who  recompenses  injury  with  kindness  is  a  man 
who  is  careful  of  his  person.  Filial  piety  and  fraternal  submis- 
sion !  are  they  not  the  root  of  all  benevolent  actions?"  "Fine 
words  and  an  insinuating  appearance  are  seldom  associated  with 
true  virtue." 

The  philosopher  said,  "  I  daily  examine  myself  on  three  points: 
whether,  in  transacting  business  for  others,  I  may  not  have  been 
faithful  ; — whether,  in  intercourse  with  friends,  I  may  not  have 
been  sincere." 

"  A  youth,  when  at  home,  should  be  filial,  and  abroad,  respectful 
to  his  elders.  He  should  overflow  in  love  to  all,  and  cultivate  the 
friendship  of  the  good." 

"  Hold  faithfulness  and  sincerity  as  first  principles. 

"  When  you  have  faults,  do  not  fear  to  abandon  them." 

Tsze-kung  said,  "  what  do  you  pronounce  concerning  the  poor 
man  who  yet  does  not  flatter,  and  the  rich  man  who  is  not  proud  ?" 
The  Master  replied,  "  they  will  do  ;  but  they  are  not  equal  to  him, 
who,  though  poor,  is  yet  cheerful,  and  to  him,  who,  though  rich, 
loves  the  rules  of  propriety." 

"  He  who  exercises  government  by  means  of  his  virtue,  may  be 
compared  to  the  north  polar  star,  which  keeps  its  place  and  all  the 
stars  turn  towards  it."  In  the  Book  of  Poetry  are  three  hundred 
pieces,  but  the  design  of  them  all  may  be  embraced  in  that  one 
sentence — '  Have  no  depraved  thoughts.' 

The  duties  of  filial  piety  must  be  performed  with  a  cheerful 
countenance. 

The  Duke  Gae  asked,  saying,  "What  should  be  done  in  order  to 
secure  the  submission  of  the  people."  Confucius  replied,  "advance 
the  upright  and  set  aside  the  crooked,  then  the  people  will  sub- 


CONFUCIANISM.  53 

mit.  Advance  the  crooked  and  set  aside  the  upright,  then  the 
people  will  not  submit.", 

Ke  K'ang  asked  how  to  cause  the  people  to  reverence  their  ruler, 
to  be  faithful  to  him,  and  to  urge  themselves  to  virtue.  The 
Master  said,  "  Let  him  preside  over  them  with  gravity  ;  then  they 
will  reverence  him.  Let  him  be  filial  and  kind  to  all ;  then  they 
will  be  faithful  to  him.  Let  him  advance  the  good  and  teach  the 
incompetent ; — then  they  will  eagerly  seek  to  be  virtuous." 

The  Master  said,  "  I  do  not  know  how  a  man  without  truthful- 
ness is  to  get  on.  How  can  a  large  carriage  be  made  to  go  with- 
out the  cross-bar  for  yoking  the  oxen  to,  or  a  small  carriage  with- 
out the  arrangement  for  yoking  the  horses  ?" 

The  Master  said,  "  For  a  man  to  sacrifice  to  a  spirit  which  does 
not  belong  to  him  is  flattery. 

"  To  see  what  is  right  and  not  to  do  it,  is  want  of  courage. 

"  He  who  offends  against  Heaven  has  none  to  whom  he  can  pray. 

"  If  the  will  be  set  on  virtue,  there  will  be  no  practice  of  wicked- 
ness. 

"  Riches  and  honors  are  what  men  desire.  If  it  cannot  be 
obtained  in  the  proper  way,  they  should  not  be  held.  Poverty 
and  meanness  are  what  men  dislike.  If  it  cannot  be  avoided  in 
the  proper  way,  they  should  be  endured. 

"  The  superior  man  does  not,  even  for  the  space  of  a  single  meal 
act  contrary  to  virtue.  In  moments  of  haste,  he  cleaves  to  it.  In 
seasons  of  danger  he  cleaves  to  it. 

"  If  a  man  in  the  morning  hear  the  right  way,  he  may  die  in  the 
evening  without  regret. 

"  A  man  should  say,  I  am  not  concerned  that  I  have  no  place — 
I  am  concerned  how  I  may  fit  myself  for  one.  I  am  not  concerned 
that  I  am  not  known, — I  seek  to  be  worthy  to  be  known."  "  My 
doctrine  is  that  of  an  all-pervading  unity." 

"  Be  true  to  the  principles  of  our  nature  and  the  benevolent 
exercise  of  them  to  others. 

"  When  we  see  men  of  worth,  we  should  think  of  equalling 
them ;  when  we  see  men  of  a  contrary  character,  we  should  turn 
inwards  and  examine  ourselves. 

"  The  cautious  seldom  err. 

"  The  superior  man  wishes  to  be  slow  in  his  words  and  earnest 
in  his  conduct. 


54  APPENDIX. 

"  Virtue  is  not  left  to  stand  alone.  He  who  practises  it  will 
have  neighbors." 

The  Master  said,  "  I  have  not  seen  a  firm  and  unbending   man.' 
Some  one  replied,  "There  is  Shin  Ch'ang."     "  Ch'ang,"  said  the 
Master,  "  is  under  the  influence  of  his  lusts,  how  can  he  be  firm 
and  unbending?" 

The  Master  said  of  Tsze-ch'an  that  he  had  four  of  the  character- 
istics of  a  superior  man  : — in  his  conduct  of  himself,  he  was  humble; 
in  serving  his  superiors,  he  was  respectful ;  in  nourishing  the 
people,  he  was  kind  ;  in  ordering  the  people,  he  was  just. 

"  In  regard  to  the  aged,  give  them  rest ;  in  regard  to  friends,  show 
them  sincerity  ;  in  regard  to  the  young,  treat  them  tenderly." 

The  Duke  Gae  asked  which  of  the  disciples  love  to  learn.  Con- 
fucius replied  to  him,  there  was  Yen  Hwuy  ;  He  loved  to  learn. 
He  did  not  transfer  his  anger  ;  he  did  not  repeat  a  fault.  Unfor- 
nately,  his  appointed  time  was  short  and  he  died  ;  and  now  there 
is  not  such  another.  I  have  not  yet  heard  of  any  one  who  loves  to 
learn  as  he  did. 

"They  who  know  the  truth  are  not  equal  to  those  who  love  it, 
and  they  who  love  it  are  not  equal  to  those  who  find  delight  in  it." 

Fan  Ch'e  asked  what  constituted  wisdom.  The  Master  said,  "To 
give  one's-self  earnestly  to  the  duties  due  to  men.  The  man  of 
virtue  makes  the  difficulty  to  be  overcome  his  first  business,  and 
success  only  a  subsequent  consideration." 

"  The  wise  are  active  ;  the  virtuous  are  tranquil.  The  wise  are 
joyful ;  the  virtuous  are  long-lived. 

<;  The  superior  man,  extensively  studying  all  learning,  and  keep- 
ing himself  under  the  restraint  of  the  rules  of  propriety,  may  thus 
likewise  not  overstep  what  is  right. 

"  Perfect  is  the  virtue  which  is  according  to  the  Constant  Mean! 

"  The  man  of  perfect  virtue,  wishing  to  be  established  himself, 
seeks  also  to  establish  others ;  wishing  to  be  enlarged  himself,  he 
seeks  also  to  enlarge  others. 

"  To  be  able  to  judge  of  others  by  what  is  nigh  in  ourselves ; — 
this  may  be  called  the  art  of  virtue." 

The  Master  said,  "  The  leaving  virtue  without  proper  cultiva- 
tion ;  the  not  thoroughly  discussing  what  is  learned ;  not  being 
able  to  move  towards  righteousness  of  which  a  knowledge  is 
gained  ;  and  not  being  able  to  change  what  is  not  good  : — these 
are  the  things  which  occasion  me  solicitude. 


CONFUCIANISM.  55 

"  Let  the  will  be  set  on  the  path  of  duty. 

"  Let  every  attainment  in  what  is  good  be  firmly  grasped. 

"  Let  perfect  virtue  be  accorded  with. 

•'Let  relaxation  and  enjoyment  be  found  in  the  polite  arts. 

The  Master  said,  "  With  coarse  rice  to  eat,  with  water  to  drink, 
and  my  bended  arm  for  a  pillow  ; — I  have  still  joy  in  the  midst 
of  these  things.  Riches  and  honors  acquired  by  unrighteousness 
are  to  me  as  a  floating  cloud. 

"Do  you  think,  my  disciples,  that  I  have  any  concealments? 
I  conceal  nothing  from  you.  Could  I  see  a  man  possessed  of  con- 
stancy, that  would  satisfy  me. 

"  Having  not  and  yet  affecting  to  have,  empty  and  yet  affecting 
to  be  full,  straitened  and  yet  affecting  to  be  at  ease: — it  is  difficult 
with  such  characteristics  to  have  constancy. 

"  Hearing  much  and  selecting  what  is  good  and  following  it, 
seeing  much  and  keeping  it  in  memory  : — this  is  the  second  style 
of  knowledge. 

"  Is  virtue  a  thing  remote  ?  I  wish  to  be  virtuous,  and  lo ! 
virtue  is  at  hand." 

The  Master  said,  "  The  sage  und  the  man  of  perfect  virtue : — 
how  dare  I  rank  myself  with  them  ?  It  may  simply  be  said  of  me, 
that  I  strive  to  become  such  without  satiety,  and  teach  others 
without  weariness. 

'•  When  those  who  are  in  high  stations  perform  well  all  their 
duties  to  their  relations,  the  people  are  aroused  to  virtue. 

"There  are  three  principles  of  conduct  which  the  man  of  high 
rank  should  consider  specially  important : — that  in  his  deportment 
and  manner  he  keep  from  violence  and  heedlessness  ;  that  in  regu- 
lating his  countenance  he  keep  near  to  sincerity  ;  and  that  in  his 
words  and  tones  he  keep  far  from  lowness  and  impropriety. 

"  It  is  by  the  Odes  that  the  mind  is  aroused. 

'•  It  is  by  the  Rules  of  propriety  that  the  character  is  established. 

"  It  is  from  Music  that  the  finish  is  received." 

The  Master  said,  "  It  is  not  easy  to  find  a  man  who  has  learned 
for  three  years  without  coming  to  the  good. 

•'  With  sincere  faith  he  unites  the  love  of  learning;  holding  firm 
to  death,  he  is  perfecting  the  excellence  of  his  course. 

"  Learn  as  if  you  could  not  reach  your  object,  and  were  always 
fearing  also  lest  you  should  lose  it." 


56  APPENDIX. 

There  were  four  things  from  which  the  Master  was  entirely  free. 
He  had  no  foregone  conclusions,  no  arbitrary  predeterminations, 
no  obstinacy,  and  no  egotism. 

"  The  prosecution  of  learning  may  be  compared  to  what  may 
happen  in  raising  a  mound.  It  may  be  compared  to  throwing 
down  the  earth  on  the  level  ground.  Though  but  one  basketful 
is  thrown  at  a  time,  the  advancing  with  it  is  my  own  going 
forward. 

"  Hold  faithfulness  and  sincerity  as  first  principles. 

'  The  commander  of  the  forces  of  a  large  State  may  be  carried 
off,  but  the  will  of  even  a  common  man  cannot  be  taken  from 
him. 

"The  wise  are  free  from  perplexities;  the  virtuous  from  anxiety; 
and  the  bold  from  fear. 

"  A  great  minister,  is  one  who  serves  his  prince  according  to 
what  is  right,  and  when  he  finds  he  cannot  do  so,  retires. 

"  Look  not  at  what  is  contrary  to  propriety  ;  listen  not  to  what 
-  is  contrary  to  propriety  ;  speak  not  what  is  contrary  to  propriety  ; 
make  no  movement  which  is  contrary  to  propriety." 

Chung-kung  asked  about  perfect  virtue.  The  Master  said,  "  It 
is  when  you  go  abroad,  to  behave  to  every  one  as  if  you  were 
receiving  a  great  guest ;  not  to  do  to  others  as  you  would  not  wish 
done  to  yourself;  to  have  no  murmuring  against  you  in  the  coun- 
try, and  none  in  the  family. 

"  Be  cautious  and  slow  in  speech. 

"  When  a  mans  feelu  the  difficulty  of  doing,  can  he  be  other  than 
cautious  and  slow  in  speaking  ? 

"  When  internal  examination  discovers  nothing  wrong,  what  is 
there  to  be  anxious  about,  what  is  there  to  fear  ? 

"  He  with  whom  neither  slander  that  gradually  soaks  into  the 
mind,  nor  statements  that  startle  like  a  wound  in  the  flesh,  are 
successful,  may  be  called  intelligent,  indeed,  may  be  called  far- 
seeing. 

"  Hold  faithfulness  and  sincerity  as  first  principles,  and  be 
moving  continually  to  what  is  right ; — this  is  the  way  to  exalt 
one's  virtue. 

"  The  art  of  governing  is  to  keep  its  affairs  before  the  mind 
without  weariness,  and  to  practise  them  with  undeviating  consis- 
tency. 


CONFUCIANISM.  57 

"  The  superior  man  seeks  to  perfect  the  admirable  qualities  of 
men. 

"  To  govern,  means  to  rectify.  If  you  lead  on  the  people  with 
correctness,  who  will  not  dare  to  be  correct  ? 

"  The  man  of  distinction  is  solid  and  straightforward,  and  loves 
righteousness. 

"  To  assail  one's  own  wickedness  and  not  assail  that  of  others ; — 
this  is  the  way  to  correct  cherished  evil.  For  a  morning's  anger  to 
disregard  one's  own  life,  and  involve  that  of  one's  parents; — is  not 
this  a  case  of  delusion  ?" 

Fan  Ch'e  asked  about  benevolence.  The  Master  said,  "It  is  to 
love  all  men. 

"  Employ  the  upright  and  put  aside  all  the  crooked ; — in  this 
way,  the  crooked  can  be  made  to  be  upright. 

"  Faithfully  admonish  your  friend,  and  kindly  try  to  lead  him. 

"  When  punishments  are  not  properly  awarded,  the  people  do 
not  know  how  to  move  hand  or  foot. 

"  If  he  cannot  rectify  himself,  what  has  he  to  do  with  rectifying 
others  ? 

"  In  the  management  of  business,  to  be  reverently  attentive ;  in 
intercourse  with  others,  to  be  strictly  sincere. 

"  The  ardent  will  advance  and  lay  hold  of  truth ;  the  cau- 
tiously-decided, will  keep  themselves  from  what  is  wrong. 

"The  superior  man  is  affable,  but  not  adulatory;  the  mean 
is  adulatory,  but  not  affable. 

"  The  superior  man  has  a  dignified  ease  without  pride.  The 
mean  man  has  pride  without  a  dignified  ease. 

"  The  firm,  the  enduring,  the  simple,  and  the  modest,  are  near 
to  virtue. 

"  He  who  speaks  without  modesty  will  find  it  difficult  to  make 
his  words  good. 

"  The  way  of  the  superior  man  is  three-fold.  Virtuous,  he  is  free 
from  anxieties ;  wise,  he  is  free  from  perplexities ;  bold,  he  is  free 
from  fear. 

"  What  do  you  say  concerning  the  principle  that  injury  should 
be  recompensed  with  kindness?" 

The  Master  said,  "  With  what  then  will  you  recompense  kind- 
ness? 

"  Recompense  injury  with  justice,  and  recompense  kindness  with 
kindness. 


58  APPENDIX. 

"  If  a  man  take  no  thought  about  what  is  distant,  he  will  find 
sorrow  near  at  hand. 

"The  superior  man  in  everything  considers  righteousness  to  be 
essential.  He  performs  it  according  to  the  rules  of  propriety.  He 
brings  it  forth  in  humility.  He  completes  it  with  sincerity. 

"  What  the  superior  man  seeks,  is  in  himself.  What  the  mean 
man  seeks,  is  in  others. 

"  Is  there  one  word  which  may  serve  as  a  rule  of  practice  for  all 
one's  life?"  The  Master  said,  "Is  not  Reciprocity  such  a  word? 
What  you  do  not  want  done  to  yourself,  do  not  do  to  others. 

"  Specious  words  confound  virtue.  Want  of  forbearance  in  small 
matters  confounds  great  plans. 

"  To  have  faults  and  not  to  reform  them, — this  indeed,  should 
be  pronounced  having  faults. 

"By  nature,  men  are  nearly  alike;  by  practice,  they  get  to  be 
wide  apart. 

"  If  you  are  grave,  you  will  not  be  treated  with  disrespect.  If 
you  are  generous,  you  will  win  all.  If  you  are  sincere,  people  will 
repose  trust  in  you.  If  you  are  earnest,  you  will  accomplish  much. 
If  you  are  kind,  this  will  enable  you  to  employ  the  services  of 
others. 

"  Without  recognizing  the  ordinances  of  Heaven,  it  is  impossible 
to  be  a  superior  man. 

"  The  illustrious  virtue  is  the  virtuous  nature  which  man  derives 
from  Heaven. 

"  The  cultivation  of  the  person  is  the  prime,  radical  thing 
required  from  all. 

"  Let  there  be  daily  renovation.  What  truly  is  within  will  be 
manifested  without. 

"  Riches  adorn  a  house,  and  virtue  adorns  the  person.  The  cul- 
tivation of  the  person  depends  on  the  rectifying  of  the  mind.  The 
regulation  of  one's  family  depends  on  the  cultivation  of  his  person. 

"  There  are  few  men  in  the  world  who  love,  and  at  the  same 
time  know  the  bad  qualities  of  the  object  of  their  love,  or  who  hate, 
and  yet  know  the  excellences  of  the  object  of  their  hatred. 

"  Act  as  if  you  were  watching  over  an  infant.  If  a  mother  is 
really  anxious  about  it,  though  she  may  not  hit  exactly  the  wants 
of  her  infant,  she  will  not  be  far  from  doing  so." 

"From  the  loving  example  of  one  family,  a  whole  State  becomes 
loving,  and  from  its  courtesies,  the  whole  State  becomes  courteous. 


CONFUCIANISM.  59 

"  The  ruler  must  himself  be  possessed  of  the  good  qualities,  and 
then  he  may  require  them  in  the  people.  When  the  ruler  as  a 
father,  a  son,  and  a  brother,  is  a  model,  then  the  people  imitate 
him. 

"  When  the  sovereign  behaves  to  his  aged,  as  the  aged  should  be 
behaved  to,  the  people  becomes  filial ;  when  the  sovereign  behaves 
to  his  elders,  as  elders  should  be  behaved  to,  the  people  learn  bro- 
therly submission ;  when  the  sovereign  treats  compassionately  the 
young  and  helpless,  the  people  do  the  same.  Thus  the  ruler  has  a 
principle  with  which,  as  a  measuring  square,  he  may  regulate  his 
conduct.  The  ruler's  words  going  forth  contrary  to  right,  will 
come  back  to  him  in  the  same  way,  and  wealth,  gotten  by  improper 
ways,  will  take  its  departure  by  the  same. 

"  To  love  those  whom  men  hate,  and  to  hate  those  whom  men 
love ;  this  is  to  outrage  the  natural  feeling  of  man. 

"  Let  there  be  activity  in  the  production,  and  economy  in  the 
expenditure.  Then  the  wealth  will  always  be  sufficient. 

"  What  Heaven  has  conferred  is  called  THE  NATURE  ;  an  accord- 
ance with  this  nature  is  called  THE  PATH  of  duty  ;  the  regulation  of 
path  is  called  INSTRUCTION. 

"  While  there  are  no  stirrings  of  pleasure,  anger,  sorrow,  or  joy, 
the  mind  may  be  said  to  be  in  the  state  of  Equilibrium.  When  those 
feelings  have  been  stirred  and  they  act  in  their  due  degree,  there 
ensues  what  may  be  called  the  state  of  Harmony.  This  Equilib- 
rium is  the  great  root  from  which  grow  all  the  human  actings  in 
the  world,  and  this  Harmony  is  the  universal  path  which  they  all 
should  pursue. 

"  Let  the  states  of  equilibrium  and  harmony  exist  in  perfection, 
and  a  happy  order  will  prevail  throughout  heaven  and  earth,  and 
all  things  will  be  nourished  and  flourish. 

"  To  show  forbearance  and  gentleness  in  teaching  others,  and  not 
to  revenge  unreasonable  conduct. 

"  When  men  try  to  pursue  a  course,  which  is  far  from  the  indica- 
tions of  consciousness,  this  course  cannot  be  considered  THE  PATH. 

"  In  hewing  an  axe-handle,  the  pattern  is  not  far  off.  We  grasp 
one  axe-handle  to  hew  the  other,  and  yet,  if  we  look  askance  from 
the  one  to  the  other,  we  may  consider  them  as  apart. 

"  When  one  cultivates  to  the  utmost  the  principles  of  his  nature, 
and  exercises  them  on  the  principle  of  reciprocity,  he  ,is  not  far 
from  the  path. 


60  APPENDIX. 

"  The  superior  man  can  find  himself  in  no  situation  in  which  he 
is  n  ot  himself. 

"  Happy  union  with  wife  and  children  is  like  the  music  of  lutes 
and  harps.  When  there  is  concord  among  brethren,  the  harmony 
is  delightful  and  enduring. 

"  How  abundantly  do  spiritual  beings  display  the  powers  that 
belong  to  them. 

"  We  look  for  them,  but  do  not  see  them  ;  we  listen  to,  but  do  not 
hear  them  ;  yet  they  enter  into  all  things,  and  there  is  nothing 
without  them,  like  overflowing  water,  they  seem  to  be  over  the 
heads,  and  on  the  right  and  left  of  their  worshippers." 

It  is  said  in  the  Book  of  Poetry.  "  The  approaches  of  the  spirits 
you  cannot  surmise ;  and  can  you  treat  them  with  indifference  ? 

"  Such  is  the  manifestness  of  what  is  minute!  Such  is  the  impos- 
sibility of  repressing  the  outgoings  of  sincerity. 

"  He  who  is  greatly  virtuous  will  be  sure  to  receive  the  appoint- 
ment of  Heaven. 

"  The  -administration  of  government  lies  in  getting  proper  men. 
Such  men  are  to  be  got  by  means  of  the  ruler's  own  character. 
That  character  is  to  be  cultivated  by  his  treading  in  the  ways  of 
duty.  And  the  treading  those  ways  of  duty  is  to  be  cultivated  by 
the  cherishing  of  benevolence. 

"  Benevolence  is  the  characteristic  element  of  humanity.  Right- 
eousness is  the  accordance  of  actions  with  what  is  right. 

"  If  principles  of  conduct  have  been  previously  determined,  the 
practice  of  them  will  be  inexhaustible. 

"  Sincerity  is  the  way  of  Heaven.  The  attainment  of  sincerity  is 
the  way  of  men.  To  this  attainment  there  are  requisite  the  exten- 
sive study  of  what  is  good,  accurate  inquiry  about  it,  careful  reflec- 
tion on  it,  the  clear  discrimination  of  it,  and  the  earnest  practice 
of  it. 

"Let  a  man  proceed  in  this  way,  and,  though  dull,  he  will  surely 
become  intelligent ;  though  weak,  he  will  surely  become  strong.  It 
is  only  he  who  is  possessed  of  the  most  complete  sincerity  that  can 
give  full  development  to  his  nature. 

"  He  who  cultivates  to  the  utmost  the  shoots  of  goodness  in  him. 
From  those  he  can  attain  to  the  possession  of  sincerity.  This  sin- 
cerity becomes  apparent.  From  being  apparent  it  becomes  mani- 
fest. From  being  manifest  it  becomes  brilliant.  Brilliant  it  affects 
others.  Affecting  others  they  are  changed  by  it.  Changed  by  it 
they  are  transformed. 


MEXICO  AND  PERU.  61 

"  Heaven  and  Earth  are  without  any  doubleness,  and  so  they 
produce  things  in  a  manner  that  is  unfathomable. 

"  What  needs  no  display  is  virtue. 

"  Learn  the  past  and  you  will  know  the  future. 

"  Grieve  not  that  men  know  not  you,  grieve  that  you  know  not 
men. 

"  The  essence  of  knowledge  is,  having  it,  to  apply  it ;  not  having 
it,  to  confess  your  ignorance. 

"  Worship  as  though  the  Deity  were  present. 

"  If  my  mind  is  not  engaged  in  my  worship,  it  is  as  though  I 
worshipped  not." 

MEXICO  AND   PERU. 

The  social  condition  of  Mexico  and  Peru,  at  the  time  of  the  dis- 
covery of  America,  demonstrates  what  is  claimed  in  the  introduc- 
tion of  this  work,  that  similar  usages  make  their  appearance  spon- 
taneously in  the  progress  of  civilization  of  different  countries, 
showing  how  little  they  depend  on  accident,  how  closely  they  are 
connected  with  the  nature  and  organization,  and  therefore  with  the 
necessities  of  man.  From  important  ideas  and  great  institutions 
down  to  the  most  trifling  incidents  of  domestic  life,  so  striking  is 
the  parallel  between  the  American  aborigines  and  Europeans  that 
with  difficulty  do  we  divest  ourselves  of  the  impression  that  there 
must  have  been  some  intercommunication.  Each  was,  however, 
pursuing  an  isolated  and  spontaneous  progress ;  and  yet  how 
closely  does  the  picture  of  life  in  the  New  World  answer  to  that 
in  the  Old !  The  monarch  of  Mexico  lived  in  pomp ;  wore  a  golden 
crown  resplendent  with  gems ;  was  aided  in  his  duties  by  a  privy 
council ;  the  great  lords  held  their  lands  of  him  by  the  obligation 
of  military  service.  In  him  resided  the  legislative  power,  yet  he 
was  subject  to  the  laws  of  the  realm.  The  judges  held  their  office 
independently  of  him,  and  were  not  liable  to  removal  by  him.  The 
laws  were  reduced  to  writing,  which  though  only  a  system  of  hiero- 
glyphics, served  its  purpose  so  well  that  the  Spaniards,  were  obliged 
to  admit  its  validity  in  their  courts,  and  to  found  a  professorship 
for  perpetuating  a  knowledge  of  it.  Marriage  was  regarded  as  an 
important  social  engagement.  Divorces  were  granted  with  diffi- 
culty. 


62  APPENDIX. 

In  the  human  hives  of  Europe,  Asia,  and  America,  the  bees  were 
marshalled  in  the  same  way  and  were  instinctively  building  their 
combs  alike. 

The  religious  state,  that  is  true  religion,  is  a  reflection  of  that  of 
Europe,  and  Asia !  as  also  their  theology.  Their  worship  was 
mixed  up  with  imposing  ceremonial.  The  common  people  had  a 
mythology  of  many  gods,  but  the  higher  classes  were  strictly  Unita- 
rian, acknowledging  one  Almighty,  invisible  Creator.  Of  the  popu- 
lar deities,  the  god  of  war  was  the  chief.  With  sedulous  zeal,  the 
clergy  engrossed  the  duty  of  public  education,  thereby  keeping 
society  in  their  grasp. 

The  condition  of  astronomy  in  Mexico  is  illustrated,  as  it  is  in 
Egypt,  by  the  calendar.  At  the  conquest,  the  Mexican  calendar 
was  in  a  better  condition  than  the  Spanish.  They  had  sun-dials 
for  determining  the  hour,  and  also  instruments  for  the  solstices  and 
the  equinoxes.  They  had  ascertained  the  globular  form  of  the 
earth  and  the  obliquity  of  the  ecliptic.  Their  agriculture  was 
superior  to  that  of  Europe  ;  there  was  nothing  in  the  Old  World 
to  compare  with  the  menageries  and  botanical  gardens. 

They  employed  a  currency  of  gold  dust,  pieces  of  tin,  and  bags 
of  cacao.  In  their  domestic  economy  though  polygamy  was  per- 
mitted, it  was  in  practice,  confined  to  the  wealthy.  The  women 
did  not  work  abroad,  but  occupied  themselves  in  spinning,  em- 
broidering, feather-work,  music.  Ablution  was  resorted  to  both 
before  and  after  meals ;  perfumes  were  used  at  the  toilet.  The 
Mexicans  gave  to  Europe  tobacco,  snuff,  the  turkey,  chocolate, 
cochineal.  Like  us,  they  had  in  their  entertainments  solid  dishes, 
with  suitable  condiments,  gravies,  sauces  and  desserts  of  pastries, 
confections,  fruits,  both  fresh  and  preserved.  They  had  chafing- 
dishes  of  silver  or  gold.  Like  us,  they  knew  the  use  of  intoxi- 
cating drinks ;  like  us,  they  not  unfrequently  took  them  to  excess ; 
like  us,  they  heightened  their  festivities  with  dancing  and  music. 
They  had  theatrical  and  pantomimic  shows.  At  Tezcuco  there 
was  a  council  of  music,  which,  moreover,  exercised  a  censorship  on 
philosophical  works,  as  those  of  astronomy  and  history.  In  that 
city,  North  American  civilization  reached  its  height.  The  king's 
palace  was  a  wonderful  work  of  art.  It  was  said  that  two  hundred 
thousand  men  were  employed  in  its  construction. 

The  prevailing  religious  feeling  is  expressed  by  the  sentiments  of 
one  of  the  kings,  many  of  whom  had  prided  themselves  in  their 


MEXICO  AND  PERU.  63 

poetical  skill :  "  Let  us,"  lie  says,  "  aspire  to  that  heaven  where  all 
is  eternal,  and  where  corruption  never  comes."  He  taught  his 
children  not  to  confide  in  idols,  but  only  to  conform  to  the  outward 
worship  of  them  in  deference  t6  public  opinion. 

To  the  preceding  description  of  the  social  condition  of  Mexico 
•we  shall  add  a  similar  brief  account  of  that  of  Peru,  for  the  conclu- 
sions to  be  drawn  from  a  comparison  of  the  spontaneous  process  of 
civilization  in  these  two  countries  with  the  process  in  Europe,  is  of 
importance  to  the  attainment  of  a  just  idea  of  the  development  of 
mankind.  The  most  competent  authorities  declare  that  the  Mexi- 
cans and  Peruvians  were  ignorant  of  each  other's  existence. 

The  state  of  Peruvian  civilization  is  at  once  demonstrated  when 
it  is  said  that  these  mountain  slopes  had  become  a  garden,  immense 
terraces  having  been  constructed  wherever  required,  and  irriga- 
tion on  a  grander  scale  than  that  of  Egypt  carried  on  by  gigantic 
canals  and  aqueducts.  Advantage  was  taken  of  the  different 
mean  annual  temperatures  at  different  altitudes  to  pursue  the  cul- 
tivation of  various  products,  for  difference  in  height  topographically 
answers  to  difference  in  latitude  geographically ;  and  thus,  in  a 
narrow  space,  the  Peruvians  had  every  variety  of  temperature, 
from  that  corresponding  to  the  hottest  portions  of  Southern  Europe 
to  that  of  Lapland.  In  the  mountains  of  Peru,  as  has  been  graph- 
ically said,  man  sees  "  all  the  stars  of  the  heavens  and  all  the  fami- 
lies of  plants."  On  plateaus  at  a  great  elevation  above  the  sea 
there  were  villages  and  even  cities.  Thus  the  plain  upon  which 
Quito  stands,  under  the  equator,  is  nearly  ten  thousand  feet  high. 
So  great  was  their  industry  that  the  Peruvians  had  gardens  and 
orchards  above  the  clouds ;  and  on  ranges  still  higher  flocks  of 
lamas,  in  regions  bordering  on  the  limit  of  perpetual  snow. 

Through  the  entire  length  of  the  empire  two  great  military 
roads  were  built ;  one  on  the  plateau,  the  other  on  the  shore. 
The  former,  for  nearly  two  thousand  miles,  crossed  sierras  covered 
with  snow,  was  thrown  over  ravines,  or  went  through  tunnels  in 
the  rocks. 

The  public  couriers,  as  in  Mexico,  could  make,  if  necessary,  two 
hundred  miles  a  day.  Of  these  roads,  Humboldt  says  that  they 
were  among  the  most  useful  and  most  stupendous  ever  executed 
by  the  hand  of  man. 

In  Cuzco,  the  metropolis,  was  the  imperial  residence  of  the  Inca 
and  the  Temple  of  the  Sun.  It  contained  edifices  which  excited 
the  amazement  of  the  Spanish. 


64  APPENDIX. 

The  Peruvian  religion  ostensibly  consisted  of  a  worship  of  the 
Sun,  but  the  higher  classes,  had  already  become  emancipated  from 
such  a  material  association,  and  recognized  the  existence  of  one 
almighty,  invisible  God.  They  expected  the  resurrection  of  the 
body  and  the  continuance  of  the  soul  in  a  future  life. 

To  the  Supreme  Being  but  one  temple  was  dedicated.  It  was 
in  a  sacred  valley,  to  which  pilgrimages  were  made. 

Besides  the  sun,  the  visible  god,  other  celestial  bodies  were 
worshipped  in  a  subordinate  way. 

As  to  the  people,  nowhere  else  in  the  whole  world  was  such  an 
extraordinary  policy  of  supervision  practised. 

They  were  divided  into  groups  of  ten,  fifty,  one  hundred,  five 
hundred,  one  thousand,  ten  thousand,  and  over  the  last  an  Inca 
noble  was  placed.  Through  this  system  a  rigid  centralization  was 
ensured,  the  Inca  being  the  pivot  upon  which  all  the  national 
affairs  turned.  It  was  an  absolutism  worthy  of  the  admiration  of 
many  existing  European  nations. 

The  Inca,  at  once  emperor  and  pope,  was  enabled,  in  that 
double  capacity,  to  exert  a  rigorous  partriarchal  rule  over  his 
people,  who  were  treated  like  children,  not  suffered  to  be 
oppressed.  Industry  was  encouraged  ;  for,  with  a  worldly  wisdom 
which  no  other  nation  presents,  labor  was  here  acknowledged  not 
as  a  means,  but  also  as  an  end.  It  was  the  boast  of  the  system 
that  every  one  lived  exempt  from  social  suffering, — that  all  enjoyed 
competence. 

In  their  extraordinary  provisions  for  agriculture,  the  national 
pursuit,  the  skill  of  the  Peruvians  is  well  seen. 

A  rapid  elevation  from  the  sea-level  to  the  heights  of  the 
mountains  gave  them,  in  a  small  compass,  every  variety  of  climate, 
and  they  availed  themselves  of  it.  They  terraced  the  mountain- 
sides, filling  the  terraces  with  rich  earth.  They  excavated  pits  in 
the  sand,  surrounded  them  with  adobe  walls,  and  filled  them  with 
manured  soil.  On  the  low  level  they  cultivated  bananas  and 
cassava ;  on  the  terraces  above,  maize  and  quinoa ;  still  higher, 
tobacco;  and  above  that,  the  potato.  From  a  comparatively 
limited  surface,  they  raised  great  crops  by  judiciously  using 
manures,  employing  for  that  purpose  fish,  and  especially  guano. 
Their  example  has  led  to  the  use  of  the  latter  substance  for  a  like 
purpose  in  oar  own  times  in  Europe.  The  whole  civilized  world 
has  followed  them  in  the  cultivation  of  the  potato. 


MEXICO  AND  PERU.  65 

We  have  dwelt  at  some  length  on  the  domestic  history  of  Mexico 
and  Peru  because  it  is  intimately  connected  with  one  of  the 
philosophical  principles  which  it  is  the  object  of  this  book  to  teach, 
viz  :  that  human  progress  takes  place  under  an  unvarying  law, 
and  therefore  in  a  definite  way.  The  trivial  incidents  mentioned 
in  the  preceding  paragraphs  may  perhaps  have  seemed  insig- 
nificant and  wearisome,  but  it  is  their  very  commonness,  their  very 
familiarity,  that  gives  them,  when  rightly  considered  a  surprising 
interest.  There  is  nothing  in  these  minute  details  but  what  we 
find  to  be  perfectly  natural  from  the  European  point  of  view. 
They  might  be,  for  that  matter,  instead  of  reminiscences  of  the 
spontaneous  evolution  of  a  people  shut  out  from  the  rest  of  the 
world  by  impassable  oceans,  a  relation  of  the  progress  of  some 
European  or  Asiatic  nation.  The  man  of  America  proceeded 
forward  in  his  course  of  civilization  as  did  the  man  of  the  Old 
World,  devising  the  same  institutions,  guided  by  the  same  inten- 
tions, constrained  by  the  same  desires.  From  the  great  features  of 
his  social  system  down  to  the  little  details  of  his  domestic  life,  there 
is  a  sameness  with  what  was  done  in  Asia,  Africa,  Europe.  But 
similar  results  imply  a  similar  cause.  What,  then  is  there  possessed 
in  common  by  the  Chinese,  the  Hindoo,  the  Egyptian,  the  European, 
the  Americans  ?  Simply  nothing  but  the  sameness  of  the  endow- 
ments which  constitute  human  nature — God  working  through  Man 
to  produce  his  will  and  pleasure.  The  same  instincts,  intuitions, 
incentives,  and  common  sense  guides  men  all  over  the  world.  Man 
in  his  social  progress,  the  free-will  of  which  he  so  prides  himself,  in 
his  individual  capacily  gives  way,  or  is  so  modified  by  the  action 
and  influence  of  others  and  the  domination  of  general  laws,  as  that 
God's  exact  purpose  in  creating  man  shall  be  attained  ;  notwith- 
standing, that  individual  man  (short-sighted  as  he  is)  has  partial 
control  over  his  destiny. 

The  free  agency  of  the  individual  is  so  restrained  by  instincts, 
intuitions,  and  other  influences,  that  none  can  hopelessly  stray 
from  the  path  assigned  to  him.  To  each  individual  bee,  the  career 
is  open ;  he  may  taste  of  this  flower  and  avoid  that ;  he  may  ba 
industrious  in  the  garden,  or  idle  away  his  time  in  the  air ;  but  the 
history  of  one  hive  is  the  history  of  another  hive  ;  there  will  be  a 
predestined  organization — the  queen,  the  drones,  the  workers. 
In  the  midst  of  a  thousand  unforeseen,  uncalculated,  variable  acts, 
a  definite  result,  with  unerring  certainty,  emerges  ;  the  combs  are 


66  APPENDIX. 

built  in  a  pre-ordained  way,  and  filled  with  honey  at  last.  At  the 
time  of  the  conquest  the  moral  man  in  Peru  was  fully  equal  to  the 
Europeans,  and  we  will  add,  the  intellectual  man  also.  Nor  in 
Spain,  or  even  in  all  Europe,  was  there  to  be  found  a  political 
system  carried  out  into  the  practical  details  of  actual  life,  and 
expressed  in  great  public  works  as  its  outward,  visible,  and  endur- 
ing sign,  which  could  at  all  compare  with  that  of  Peru. 

Manco  Capac  is  generally  spoken  of  by  historians  as  having 
introduced  the  worship  of  the  sun  ;  this  mistake  seems  to  have 
arisen  from  the  title  of  the  GREAT  LIGHT,  by  which  many  branches 
of  the  Indian  people  characterized  the  Creator,  and  this  is  perfectly 
scriptural,  as  we  are  taught  to  consider  the  sun  as  a  symbol  or  repre- 
sentation of  that  Great  moral  Light  and  Life,  which  is  emphati- 
cally called  the  "  Sun  of  Righteousness."  The  sun  is  illustrative 
of  the  Divine  power  and  Godhead,  as  well  as  are  all  the  other 
works  of  ihe  Creator  ;  the  term  Great  Light,  and  its  symbol  the 
sun,  seem  to  have  been  considered  by  historians  a  synonyme  ;  and 
therefore  they  have  erroneously  charged  the  Incas  with  the  worship 
of  the  sun,  instead  of  the  great  moral  Light  by  whom  as  men,  and 
as  a  community,  they  were  greatly  enlightened. 

The  following  were  among  the  regulations  for  governing  the 
people  ;  there  were  judges  in  small  controversies.  Idleness  was 
punished  with  stripes.  Each  colony  had  a  supreme  judge.  Theft, 
murders,  and  adultery  were  punished  chiefly  by  death,  in  order  not 
to  leave  a  bad  man  more  incensed  or  necessitated  to  commit  new 
crimes. 

These  laws  had  so  good  an  effect,  that  sometimes  a  year  passed 
without  one  execution.  *  *  *  "  After  a  long  and  revered  reign,  at 
the  approach  of  the  last  period  of  life,  Mango  Capac  called 
together  all  his  children  and  grand-children  ;  he  told  them  he  was 
going  to  repose  himself  with  his  Father.  To  his  eldest  son  he  left 
his  empire,  and  advised  and  charged  them  all  to  continue  in  the 
paths  of  reason  and  virtue,  which  he  had  taught  them,  until  they 
followed  him  on  the  same  journey,  and  that  this  was  the  only 
course  by  which  they  could  prove  themselves  the  children  of  the 
GREAT  LIGHT,  and  as  such  be  honored  and  respected.  He  com- 
mknded  his  successor,  whose  name  was  Sinchi  Roca,  to  govern  his 
people  with  justice,  mercy,  piety,  clemency,  and  care  of  the  poor ; 
and  that  when  he  should  go  to  rest,  &c.,  he  should  give  the  same 
instructions  and  exhortations  to  his  successor." 


MEXICO  AND  PERU.  67 

Inca  Roca  erected  schools  for  the  education  of  the  princes;  it  was 
a  eaying  of  this  Inca,  that,  "  If  there  be  anything  in  this  lower 
world  which  we  might  adore,  it  is  a  wise  and  virtuous  man,  who 
surpasses  all  other  objects  in  dignity  :  but  how  can  we  pay  Divine 
honors  to  one  who  is  born  in  tears,  who  is  in  a  daily  state  of  change, 
who  arrived  but  as  yesterday,  and  who  is  not  exempt  from  death — 
perhaps  to-morrow."  Ibid.  ch.  2.  p.75. 

Pacha  Cutec  (the  reformer)  made  many  new  laws  and  regula- 
tions ;  he  was  severely  just,  and  was  esteemed  a  wise  monarch. 
The  following  were  some  of  his  apophthegms  : — 

"  He  who  envies  the  wise  and  good,  is  like  the  wasp  which  sucks 
poison  from  the  finest  flowers." 

"Drunkenness  and  anger  admit  of  reformation,  but  folly  is 
incurable." 

"  He  who  kills  another  unlawfully  condemns  himself  to  death." 

"A  noble  and  generous  heart  is  known  by  the  patience  with 
which  it  supports  adversity." 

"  How  ridiculous  is  he  who  is  not  able  to  count  by  quipos,  and 
yet  pretends  to  number  the  stars." 

The  Inca  Yupanqui  was,  by  universal  consent,  surnamed  the 
charitable !  His  son  Tupac  Yupanqui  preserved  the  conquests  of 
his  virtuous  predecessors ;  he  "  governed  his  empire  with  wisdom 
and  mildness."  The  emperor  at  length,  feeling  the  approach  of 
death,  gave  orders  that  his  children  "  should  come  into  his  presence 
to  hear  his  last  injunctions."  He  recommended  them  by  living  in 
peace  and  justice,  to  prove  themselves  the  true  children  of  the 
Supreme  Light. 

Among  other  maxims  of  this  Inca,  he  said, — "Avarice  and  ambi- 
tion like  other  Passions  have  no  bounds  of  moderation :  the  first 
unfits  a  man  for  the  government  of  his  own  family,  or  for  any  pub- 
lic employment;  the  second  renders  the  understanding  not  suscep- 
tible of  the  counsels  of  the  wise  and  virtuous." 

"In  the  kingdom  of  Acolhuan,  the  judicial  power  wis  divided 
amongst  seven  principal  cities.  The  judges  remained  in  their  tri- 
bunals from  sun-rise  until  sun-set.  Their  meals  were  brought  to 
them,  that  they  might  not  be  taken  off  from  their  employment  by 
the  concerns  of  their  families,  nor  have  any  excuse  for  being  cor- 
rupted. They  were  assigned  possessions,  and  also  laborers  to  cul- 
tivate their  fields.  Those  possessions  belonged  to  their  office,  and 
could  not  be  inherited  by  their  sons.  Every  Mexican  month 


68  APPENDIX. 

(twenty  days)  an  assembly  of  Judges  was  held  before  the  king,  in 
order  to  determine  all  cases  then  undecided.  If  very  intricate  and 
perplexed,  they  were,  if  not  then  decided;  reserved  for  the  grand 
solemn  general  assembly,  which  was  held  every  eighty  days,  and 
was  called  the  conference  of  the  eighty  ;  at  which  all  cases  were 
finally  disposed  of,  and  punishment  pronounced  on  the  guilty. 

He  who  at  market  altered  the  measures  established  by  law,  was 
guilty  of  felony,  and  was  severely  punished. 

A  murderer  forfeited  his  own  life  for  his  crime,  even  although 
the  person  murdered  was  a  slave. 

"In  the  legislature  of  Acolhuan,  if  a  nobleman  was  intoxicated 
to  the  losing  of  his  senses,  he  was  thrown  into  a  river  or  lake ;  if  a 
plebian,  for  the  first  offence,  he  lost  his  liberty,  for  the  second,  his 
life.  And  when  the  legislator  was  asked  why  the  law  was  more 
severe  upon  nobles  than  others,  he  answered  that  the  crime  of 
drunkenness  was  less  pardonable  in  them,  as  they  were  bound  in 
duty  to  set  a  good  example. 

Hardwick  says :  There  is  reason  to  believe  that  some  of  these 
advances  towards  civilization  in  Mexico  should  be  dated  from  a 
very  high  antiquity,  especially  in  Yucatan.  That  Mexicans  had 
borrowed  largely  from  the  Mayan  builders,  who  already,  in  the 
dawn  of  history,  erected  towns  and  palaces  and  pyramid  templesf 
rivalling  those  of  Egypt  in  area  and  magnificence;  her  creed,  her 
laws,  her  ritual,  and  administrative  principles,  had  all  assumed  a 
very  definite  and  distinctive  character. 

The  wild  man  of  America  expresses  a  belief  in  some  Great  Spirit, 
(Mr.  Schoolcraft  says  this  doctrine  is  at  the  base  of  their  religion. 
Mr.  Prescott  says  "  that  the  rude  tribes  inhabiting  the  vast  Ameri- 
can continent  had  attained  to  the  sublime  conception  of  one  Great 
Spirit,  the  Creator  of  the  universe,")  manifesting  itself,  not  only, 
as  the  root  and  basis  of  ajl  being,  but  in  the  light  of  a  beneficent 
Creator. 

The  Mexican  name  for  God  is  teo-tl.  The  Mexicans  beheld  in 
him  the  being  "  by  whom  we  live,"  "  omnipresent,  that  knoweth  all 
thoughts  and  giveth  all  gifts,"  "without  whom  man  is  as  nothing," 
"  invisible,  incorporeal,  one  God  of  perfect  perfection  and  purity," 
"  under  whose  wings  we  find  repose  and  a  sure  defence."  This 
Being  also  had  been  worshipped  by  some  elevated  spirits,  without 
image,  sacrifice  or  temple.  He  was  called  the  "  Cause  of  causes," 
and  the  "  Father  of  all  things." 


THE  TALMUD.  69 

In  the  address  of  the  Mexican  high-priest,  the  language  runs  as 
follows  :  "  We  entreat  that  those  who  die  in  war  may  be  graciously 
received  by  thee,  our  Father." 

The  Mexicans  conceive  the  proper  home  of  the  divine  Being  to 
be  in  the  heavens:  he  is  declared  to  be  impalpable  as  "  night  and 
air." 

THE  TALMUD. 

Among  the  ancient  literature  of  the  Hebrews  was  the  Talmud, 
containing  the  laws  and  compilations  of  expositions  of  duties 
imposed  upon  the  people  by  scripture,  by  traditions,  by  authority 
of  their  doctors,  or  by  custom.  The  history  of  the  time  over  which 
the  composition  of  the  Talmud  ranges  is  about  one  thousand  years, 
and  its  origin  is  co-eval  with  the  return  from  the  Babylonish  cap- 
tivity. 

"  Six  hundred  and  thirteen  injunctions"  (says  the  Talmud)  "  wa^s 
Moses  instructed  to  give  the  people.  David  reduced  them  all  to 
eleven  in  the  fifteenth  Psalm:  "  Lord  who  shall  abide  in  thy  taberna- 
cle? Who  shall  dwell  in  thy  holy  hill  ?  He  that  walketh  uprightly, 
and  worketh  righteousness,  and  speaketh  the  truth  in  his  heart. 
He  that  backbiteh  not  with  his  tongue,  nor  doeth  evil  to  his  neigh- 
bor, nor  taketh  up  a  reproach  against  his  neighbor.  In  whose  eyes 
a  vile  person  is  contemned  ;  but  he  honoreth  them  that  fear  the 
Lord.  He  that  sweareth  to  his  own  hurt,  and  changeth  not.  He 
that  putteth  not  out  his  money  to  usury,  nor  taketh  a  reward 
against  the  innocent.  He  that  doeth  these  things  shall  never  be 
moved." 

The  prophet  Isaiah  reduced  them  to  six — xxxiii  15. — "  He  that 
walketh  righteously  and  speaketh  uprightly,  he  that  despiseth  the 
gain  of  oppressions,  that  shaketh  his  hands  from  holding  of 
bribes,  that  stoppeth  his  ears  from  the  hearing  of  blood,  and  shut- 
teth  his  eyes  from  seeing  evil ;  He  shall  dwell  on  high  :  his  place  of 
defence  shall  be  the  munitions  of  rocks :  bread  shall  be  given  him ; 
his  waters  shall  be  sure." 

The  prophet  Micah  reduced  them  to  three, — vi.  8. — "  What  doth 
the  Lord  require  of  thee  but  to  do  justly,  love  mercy  and  walk 
humbly  with  thy  God?" 

Isaiah  once  more  reduced  them  to  two, — Ivi.  1. — "'Keep  ye  judg- 
ment and  do  justice." 


70  APPENDIX. 

Amos  reduced  them  all  to  one, — v.  4. — "  Seek  me  and  ye  shall 
live." 

But  lest  it  might  be  supposed  from  this  that  God  could  be  found 
in  the  fulfilment  of  his  whole  law  only,  Habakkuk  said, — ii.  4. — 
"  The  just  shall  live  by  faith." 

As  God  is  pure,  so  the  soul  is  pure.  This  purity  is  specially 
dwelt  upon  in  contradistinction  to  the  theory  of  hereditary  sin, 
which  is  denied. 

There  is  no  everlasting  damnation  according  to  the  Talmud. 
There  is  only  a  temporary  punishment  even  for  the  worst  sinners. 
No  human  being  is  excluded  from  the  world  to  come.  The  punish- 
ment of  the  wicked  is  not  specified,  as  indeed  all  the  descriptions 
of  the  next  world  are  left  vague,  yet  with  regard  to  Paradise,  the 
idea  of  something  inconceivably  glorious  is  conveyed  at  every  step. 

The  "philosophy  of  religion"  will  be  best  comprehended  by 
some  of  those  "  small  coins,"  the  popular  and  pithy  sayings, 
gnomes,  proverbs, — and  the  rest, — which,  even  better  than  street 
songs,  characterize  a  time.  We  have  thought  it  preferable  to  give 
them  at  random  as  we  found  them,  instead  of  building  up  from 
them  a  system 'of  "  Ethics"  or  "Duties  of  the  Heart."  We  have 
naturally  preferred  the  better  and  more  characteristic  ones  that 
came  in  our  way. 

"  Be  thou  the  cursed,  not  he  who  curses.  Be  of  them  that  are 
persecuted,  not  of  them  that  persecute.  Look  at  Scripture:  there  is 
not  a  single  bird  more  persecuted  than  the  dove ;  yet  God  has  cho- 
sen her  to  be  offered  up  on  His  altar.  The  bull  is  hunted  by  the 
lion,  the  sheep  by  the  wolf,  the  goat  by  the  tiger.  And  God  said^ 
"  Bring  me  a  sacrifice,  not  from  them  that  persecute,  but  from 
them  that  are  persecuted."  "  Has  God  pleasure  in  the  meat  and 
blood  of  sacrifices?"  asks  the  prophet.  No;  He  has  not  so  much 
ordained  as  permitted  them.  It  is  for  yourselves,  he  says,  not  for 
me  that  you  offer.  Even  when  the  gates  of  prayer  are  shut  in 
heaven,  those  of  tears  are  open.  When  the  righteous  dies  it  is  the 
earth  that  loses.  The  aim  and  end  of  all  wisdom  is  good  works. 
The  dying  benediction  of  a  sage  to  his  disciples  was :  I  pray  for 
you  that  the  fear  of  heaven  may  be  as  strong  upon  you  as  the  fear 
of  man.  You  avoid  sin  before  the  face  of  the  latter:  avoid  it 
before  the  face  of  the  All-seeing.  "  If  your  God  hates  idolatry,  why 
does  He  not  destroy  it  ?"  a  heathen  asked.  And  they  answered 
him :  Behold,  they  worship  the  sun,  the  moon,  the  stars ;  would 


THE  TALMUD.  71 

you  have  Him  destroy  this  beautiful  world  for  the  sake  of  the  fool- 
jsh  ?  If  your  God  is  a  "  friend  of  the  poor,  "  asked  another,  "  why 
does  He  not  support  them?"  Their  case,  a  sage  answered,  is  left 
in  our  hands,  that  we  may  thereby  acquire  merits.  But  what  a 
merit  it  is !  the  other  replied  ;  suppose  I  am  angry  with  one  of  my 
slaves,  and  forbid  him  food  and  drink,  and  some  one  goes  and  gives 
it  him  furtively,  shall  I  be  much  pleased  ?  Not  so,  the  other  replied. 
Suppose  you  are  wroth  with  your  only  son  and  imprison  him  with- 
out food,  and  some  good  man  has  pity  on  the  child,  and  saves  him 
from  the  pangs  of  hunger,  would  you  be  so  very  angry  with  the 
man?  And  we,  if  we  are  called  servants  of  God  are  also  called 
His  children.  He  who  has  more  learning  than  good  works,  is  like  a 
tree  with  many  branches  but  few  roots,  which  the  first  wind  throws 
on  its  face ;  whilst  he  whose  works  are  greater  than  his  knowledge 
is  like  a  tree  with  many  roots  and  fewer  branches,  but  which  all 
the  winds  of  heaven  cannot  uproot. 

Love  your  wife  like  yourself,  honor  her  more  than  yourself. 
Whosoever  lives  unmarried,  lives  without  joy,  without  comfort, 
without  blessing.  Descend  a  step  in  choosing  a  wife.  If  thy  wife 
is  small,  bend  down  to  her  and  whisper  into  her  ear.  He  who 
forsakes  the  love  of  his  youth,  God's  altar  weeps  for  him.  He  who 
sees  his  wife  die  before  him,  has,  as  it  were,  been  present  at  the 
destruction  of  the  sanctuary  itself — around  him  the  world  grows 
dark.  It  is  woman  alone  through  whom  God's  blessings  are  vouch- 
safed to  a  house.  She  teaches  the  children,  speeds  the  husband  to 
the  place  of  worship,  and  instruction,  welcomes  him  when  he 
returns,  keeps  the  house  godly  and -pure,  and  God's  blessings  rest 
upon  all  these  things.  The  birds  in  the  air  even  despise  the  miser. 
He  who  gives  charity  in  secret  is  greater  than  Moses  himself. 
Honor  the  sons  of  the  poor,  it  is  they  who  bring  science  into  splen- 
dor. Let  the  honor  of  thy  neighbor  be  to  thee  like  thine  own. 
Hospitality  is  an  important  part  of  Divine  worship.  There  are 
three  crowns :  of  the  law,  the  priesthood,  the  kingship ;  but  the 
crown  of  a  good  name  is  greater  than  them  all. 

How  can  you  escape  sin  ?  Think  of  three  things  :  whence  thou 
comest,  whither  thou  goest,  and  to  whom  thou  wilt  have  to  account 
for  all  thy  deeds ;  even  to  the  King  of  Kings,  the  All-Holy, 
praised  be  He.  Four  shall  not  enter  Paradise ;  the  scoffer,  the 
liar,  the  hypocrite,  and  the  slanderer — There  is  a  great  difference 
between  him  who  is  ashamed  before  his  own  self,  and  him  who  is 


72  APPENDIX. 

only  ashamed  before  others.  It  is  a  good  sign  in  man  to  be  capable 
of  being  ashamed.  One  contrition  in  man's  heart  is  better  than 
many  flagellations.  He  who  walks  daily  over  his  estates  finds  a 
little  coin  each  time.  He  who  humiliates  himself  will  be  lifted 
up ;  he  who  raises  himself  up  will  be  humiliated.  Whosoever 
runs  after  greatness,  greatness  runs  away  from  him,  he  who 
runs  from  greatness,  greatness  follows  him.  He  who  curbs  his 
wrath,  his  sins  will  be  forgiven.  Whosoever  does  not  persecute 
them  that  persecute  him,  whosoever  takes  an  offence  in  silence,  he 
who  does  good  because  of  love,  he  who  is  cheerful  under  his  suffer- 
ings— they  are  the  friends  of  God,  and  of  them  the  Scripture  says, 
"  And  they  shall  shine  forth  as  does  the  sun  at  noonday."  Pride 
is  like  idolatry.  Commit  a  sin  twice  and  you  will  think  it 
perfectly  allowable.  When  the  end  of  a  man  is  come,  everybody 
lords  it  over  him.  The  day  is  short,  and  the  work  is  great ;  but  the 
laborers  are  idle,  though  the  reward  be  great  and  the  master  of 
the  work  presses.  It  is  not  incumbent  upon  thee  to  complete  the 
work  ;  but  thou  must  not  therefore  cease  from  it.  If  thou  hast 
worked  much,  great  shall  be  thy  reward  ;  for  the  master  who 
employed  thee  is  faithful  in  his  payment.  But  know  that  the  true 
reward  is  not  of  this  world.  "  Have  a  care  in  legal  decisions, 
send  forth  many  disciples,  and  make  a  fence  around  the  law.' 
"  On  three  things  stands  the  world ;  on  law,  on  worship,  and  on 
charity." 

"  Of  all  things,  the  most  hated  were  idleness  and  asceticism,  piety 
and  learning  themselves  only  received  their  proper  estimation 
when  joined  to  healthy  bodily  -work.  It  is  well  to  add  a  trade  to 
your  studies  ;  you  will  then  be  free  from  sin." 

Before  leaving  this  period  of  Mishnic  development,  we  have  yet 
to  speak  of  one  or  two  things.  This  period  is  the  one  in  which 
Christianity  arose  ;  and  it  may  be  as  well  to  touch  here  upon  the 
relation  between  Christianity  and  the  Talmud.  The  New  Testa- 
ment, written  as  Lightfoot  has  it,  "  among  Jews,  by  Jews,  for  Jews," 
cannot  but  speak  the  language  of  the  time,  both  as  to  form  and 
broadly  spi'aking,  as  to  contents.  There  are  many  more  vital  points 
of  contact  between  the  New  Testament  and  the  Talmud  than 
divine  seem  fully  to  realize,  for  such  terms  as  "  Redemption," 
"Baptism,"  "Grace,"  "Faith,"  "Salvation,"  "Regeneration," 
"Son  of  Man,"  "  Son  of  God,"  "  Kingdom  of  Heaven,"  were  not,  as 
we  are  apt  to  think,  invented  by  Christianity,  but  were  household 


EGYPTIAN  HISTORY.  73 

words  of  Talmudical  Judaism.  No  less  loud  and  bitter  in  the 
Talmud  are  the  protests  against  "  lip-serving,"  against  "  making  the 
law  a  burden  to  the  people,"  against  "  laws  that  hang  on  hairs," 
against "  Priests  and  Pharisees."  The  fundamental  mysteries  of  the 
new  Faith  are  matters  totally  apart ;  but  the  Ethics  in  both  are,  iu 
their  broad  outlines,  identical.  That  grand  dictum,  "  Do  unto 
others  as  thou  wouldst  be  done  by,"  is  quoted  by  Hillel,  the  Presi- 
dent, at  whose  death,  Jesus  was  ten  years  of  age,  not  as  anything 
new,  but  as  an  old  and  well-known  dictum  "  that  comprised  the 
whole  Law."  "  Thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself,"  is  a 
precept  of  the  Old  Testament,  as  Christ  himself  taught  his  disciples. 
The  "  Law  "  as  we  have  seen  and  shall  further  see,  was  developed, 
to  a  marvellously,  and 'perhaps,  oppressively  minute  pitch.  "  The 
faith  of  the  heart" — was  a  thing  that  stood  much  higher  with  the 
"Pharisees  than  this  outward  law.  It  was  a  thing,  they  said,  not 
to  be  commanded  by  any  ordinance  ;  yet  was  greater  than  all. 

About  thirty  years  (B.  C.)  Hillel  became  President.  Of  his  meek- 
ness, his  piety,  his  benevolence,  the  Talmudical  records  are  full. 
A  few  of  his  sayings  will  characterize  him  better  than  any  sketch 
of  ours  could  do.  "  Be  a  disciple  of  Aaron,  a  friend  of  peace,  a 
promoter  of  peace,  a  friend  of  all  men,  and  draw  them  near  unto 
the  law."  "  Do  not  believe  in  thyself  till  the  day  of  thy  death." 

"  Do  not  judge  thy  neighbor  until  thou  hast  stood  in  his  place." 
"  Whosoever  does  not  increase  in  knowledge  decreases."  One  day 
a  heathen  went  to  Shammai  the  head  of  the  rival  academy,  and 
asked  him  mockingly  to  convert  him  to  the  law  while  he  stood  on 
one  leg.  The  irate  master  turned  him  from  the  door.  He  then 
went  to  Hillel,  who  received  him  kindly,  and  gave  him  that  reply — 
since  so  widely  propagated.  "Do  not  unto  another  what  thou 
wouldst  not  have  another  do  unto  thee.  This  is  the  whole  Law, 
the  rest  is  mere  commentary." 

EGYPTIAN  HISTORY. 

It  is  ascertained  to  a  certainty  by  the  reading  of  hieroglyphics 
on  the  monuments  of  Egypt,  that  as  long  as  five  thousand  years 
ago,  Egypt  was  an  old  country,  and  the  wild  barbarian  state 
"  when  wild  in  woods  the  noble  savage  ran,"  appears  as  remote 
from  that  period  as  from  the  present. 

Art,  luxury,  even  the  vices  of  wealth  and  power  are  apparent, 
but  of  the  so-called  state  of  nature  nothing  is  to  be  seen.  The  ear- 


74  APPENDIX. 

liest  king  of  all  Egypt  must  have  ascended  the  throne  about  B.  C. 
3643,  and  the  paintings  in  the  tombs  at  Ben  Hassan  must  date  at 
least  B.  C.  2800 ;  giving  them  at  his  time  an  actual  antiquity  very 
little  short  of  five  thousand  years :  for  they  bear  the  names  of  that 
far-famed  king  of  the  twelfth  dynasty,  whose  extraordinary  stature, 
extensive  conquests,  and  long  reign  are  recorded  by  Manethon  and 
Herodotus.  His  name  is  variously  written  by  the  different  tran- 
scribers: in  some  it  is  Sesostris,  in  others  Sesonchosis,  and  in  the 
monuments,  Sesortesen. 

It  was  at  one  of  the  most  brilliant  periods  of  the  Egyptian  mon- 
archy, therefore,  that  we  have  the  elaborate  representation  of  social 
life  which  these  tombs  afford :  and  this  brilliant  period  was  appar- 
ently anterior  by  many  centuries  to  the  birth  even  of  Abraham. 

At  this  epoch,  five  thousand  years  ago,  the  Egyptians  were  skilled 
in  the  art  of  glass-blowing ;  the  smelting  and  working  of  metals, 
weaving,  pottery,  brick  making,  boat  building,  rope  making,  pre- 
paring leather,  making  wine  from  the  grape,  writing,  painting, 
sculpture ;  they  had  saws  for  the  carpenter,  sickles  for  the  reaper, 
scythes  for  the  cutter  of  stubble,  chisels  for  the  sculptor:  their 
buildings  were  supported  by  columns  ;  they  had  gardens  elabo- 
rately laid  out,  boats  covered  like  a  gondola  to  protect  the  passen- 
gers from  the  rays  of  the  sun  ;  the  rich  enjoyed  field  sports  in  their 
preserves,  which  were  stocked  with  wild  animals  by  the  labor  of 
slaves ;  ladies  had  their  social  meetings,  where  they  were  enter- 
tained by  flute  players  and  admired  or  criticised  each  other's  dress; 
guests  came  to  feasts  in  chariots  drawn  by  caparisoned  horses,  and 
were  entertained  by  tumblers  and  .dancing  girls,  dressed  in  trans- 
parent robes,  for  the  manufacture  of  which  Egypt  was  always 
famous. 

From  the  above  enumeration  of  what  we  are  wont  to  term  the 
arts  of  civilization,  we  might  fancy  ourselves  introduced  to  the 
dominions  of  a  Hindoo  prince  of  our  own  times.  No !  It  is  the 
picture  of  an  age  of  the  world  when  primeval  barbarism  has  been 
supposed  to  have  prevailed. 

Trace  back  the  Egyptians  from  the  age  of  the  great  Sesortesen 
toward  that  of  the  founder  of  the  sole  monarchy,  and  what  do  we 
find  ?  Pyramids,  obelisks,  gigantic  statues,  temples  ;  all  the  evi- 
dences of  wealth  and  power.  Writing  materials  are  depicted  on 
the  monuments  of  the  fourth  dynasty.  The  age  of  barbarism  like 
the  rainbow,  recedes  at  the  attempt  to  follow  it. 


EGYPTIAN  HISTORY.  75 

The  priests,  here,  as  in  all  other  countries,  were  a  favored  class 
segregated  from  the  rest  by  their  learning  and  their  riches,  no  less 
than  by  their  privilege  of  caste ;  despising  this  ignorance  of  the 
lower  orders,  devised  ceremonies  to  amuse,  rather  than  to  enlighten 
them  ;  and  thus  perpetuated  and  even  increased  this  ignorance. 
All  that  we  are  told  of  the  mysteries,  the  secret  doctrines  &c.,  which 
the  Greeks  affirm  to  have  been  introduced  from  Egyyt,  comfirms 
this ;  the  religion  of  the  heart,  which  ought  to  have  expressed 
itself  in  the  simple  prayer  or  thanksgiving  which  formed  the  first 
worship  of  man,  was  exchanged  for  a  set  of  ceremonies  so  compli- 
cated, that  the  complete  knowledge  of  them  became  an  art  requir- 
ing long  instruction  ;  the  truth  was  hid  under  a  vein  which  common 
eyes  were  unable  to  see  through  ;  and  the  sacerdotal  caste  arro- 
gated consequence  to  itself  for  knowing  what  it  had  itself  origi- 
nally concealed. 

There  is  a  tendency  in  mankind  to  keep  that  a  secret  which  is 
profitable ;  and  it  is  seldom  that  any  priesthood,  existing  as  a  cor- 
porate body,  has  entirely  escaped  the  dangerous  influence  of  the 
spirit  of  caste.  NOTE. — It  is  to  this  probably,  that  most  of  the  cor- 
ruptions of  Christ's  teaching  have  been  owing.  Man  is  discouraged 
by  the  priests  from  believing  that  the  approach  to  his  Maker  is 
easy,  or  his  laws  simple  as  nature  itself;  they  are  taught  to  despise 
the  plain  short  order  "  Wash  and  be  clean."  Hence  the  gorgeous- 
ness  of  ceremonial  worship. 

In  the  paintings  of  Beni-Hassan,  though  the  act  of  prayer,  and 
the  offering  of  incense  are  often  represented,  no  figure  of  the  deity 
to  whom  this  service  was  dedicated,  is  given.  At  a  later  period 
both  paintings  and  sculpture  abound  with  representations  of 
strangely  misformed  deities,  which  are  receiving  the  homage  of  their 
worshippers.  Yet  in  the  midst  of  all  this,  the  books  of  tho  priest- 
hood (for  such  we  must  imagine  the  ceremonial  ritual  of  which  so 
many  fragments  are  still  existing)  tell  of  a  judgment  after  death, 
according  to  the  actions  performed  during  life ;  of  the  immortality 
of  the  soul ;  and  of  its  re-union  with  the  body. 

We  have  no  positive  knowledge  of  the  state  of  man  in  other 
countries  at  the  early  period  to  which  the  monuments  of  Egypt 
carry  us  back  ;  but  India,  China,  and  Persia,  claim  for  themselves  a 
civilization  as  ancient,  and  there  is  no  reason  why  a  state  of  things 
which  we  find  certainly  proved  in  one  country,  should  not  have 
extemied  to  others.  Indeed,  if  we  may  be  allowed  to  reason  from 


76  APPENDIX. 

analogy,  it  is  much  more  probable  that  other  nations  should  have 
reached  to  something  near  the  same  point,  than  that  Egypt  should 
have  stood  alone.  China  has  been  so  much  a  sealed  book,  hitherto, 
that  we  can  say  little  as  to  its  antiquities,  or  even  as  to  its  present 
habits ;  but  there  is  much  in  modern  Hindostan  which  reminds  us 
of  the  state  of  manners  depicted  in  the  tombs  of  the  ancient 
Egyptians. 

Within  a  short  time  the  opinions  here  advanced,  have  received 
a  farther  corroboration  from  the  disinterment  of  sculptures  from  the 
palaces,  or  temples  of  the  ancient  Assyrian  empire;  which  mark  a 
state  of  civilization  very  similar  to  that  of  Egypt.  We  find  there  a 
monarch  sumptuously  apparelled  and  attended ;  horses  harnessed 
to  chariots;  swords  elaborately  ornamented  on  the  hilt;  dresses 
embroidered  and  fringed  ;  and  a  style  of  sculpture  greatly  resem- 
bling that  of  ancient  Egypt. 

"  The  centre  of  the  consciousness  which  the  Egyptains  possessed 
of  God's  agency  in  our  history  is  the  Osiris  worship,  the  oldest, 
and  most  sacred  portion  of  their  religion — Osiris  is  the  Lord,  the 
God  and  father  of  each  individual  soul,  the  judge  of  men,  who 
passes  sentence  strictly  according  to  the  right  and  wrong,  reward- 
ing goodness  and  punishing  crime. — The  judgment  held  upon  the 
souls  of  the  dead  is  nothing  else  than  the  reflection  of  that  general 
theory  of  the  universe  according  to  which  the  good  prevails,  on 
earth  in  the  midst  of  conflict,  while  evil  annihilates  itself,  pro- 
moting the  good  against  its  own  will — It  involves  the  recognition 
that  there  is  a  solution  of  the  enigma  of  existence  which  is  not  to 
be  found  in  the  term  of  a  single  life  on  earth,  and  yet  which  we 
are  compelled  to  seek  after,  in  order  to  explain  this  life — All  guilt 
must  be  expiated — but  the  final  issue,  although  reached  only  after 
the  lapse  of  unnumbered  ages,  will  be  the  triumph  of  the  good, 
the  general  reconciliation,  and  a  life  in  God  will  be  the  eternal 
heritage  of  the  soul — This  thought  pervades  all  the  records  we 
possess  respecting  the  trial  held  upon  the  deceased  in  Egypt — This 
special  mystery  of  the  Egyptian  religion  implies  a  faith  in  the  two 
great  fundamental  laws  of  all  religious  consciousness — the  unity 
of  the  human  reason  in  the  conscience,  and  the  indestructibility 
of  personal  identity — All  mankind  are  judged  by  Osiris  according 
to  one  standard" — The  foregoing  are  among  the  religious  views  held 
by  the  Egyptians  three  thousand  years  B.  C. 


STOICISM.  77 

STOICISM. 

Dugal  Stewart  says,  "  The  Stoics  were  a  large  sect,  and  of  its 
members  so  many  have  been  celebrated,  that  a  separate  work  would 
be  needed  to  chronicle  them  all.  From  Zeno,  the  founder,  down  to 
Brutus  and  Marcus  Antonius,  the  sect  embraces  many  Greek  and 
Roman  worthies,  and  not  a  few  solemn  pretenders.  Soms  of  these 
we  would  willingly  introduce ;  but  we  are  forced  to  confine  our- 
selves to  one  type  ;  and  the  one  we  select  is  Zeno." 

He  was  born  at  Citium,  a  small  city  in  the  island  of  Cyprus,  of 
Phoenician  origin,  but  inhabited  by  Greeks.  The  date  of  his  birth 
is  uncertain,  probably  about  three  hundred  and  fifty  years  B.  C. 
His  father  was  a  merchant,  in  which  trade  he  himself  engaged,  until 
his  father,  after  a  voyage  to  Athens,  brought  home  some  works  of 
Socratic  philosophers;  these  Zeno  studied  with  eagerness  and 
rapture,  and  determined  his  vocation. 

When  about  thirty,  he  undertook  a  voyage,  both  of  interest  and 
pleasure,  to  Athens,  the  great  mart  both  for  trade  and  philosophy. 
Shipwrecked  on  the  coast,  he  lost  the  whole  of  his  valuable  cargo  of 
Phoenician  purple :  and  thus,  reduced  to  poverty,  he  willingly 
embraced  the  doctrine  of  the  Cynics,  whose  ostentatious  display  of 
poverty  had  captivated  many  minds. 

The  gross  manners  of  the  Cynics,  so  far  removed  from  true  sim- 
plicity, and  their  speculative  incapacity,  soon  caused  him  to  seek  a 
master  elsewhere. 

As  a  man,  Zeno  appears  deserving  of  the  highest  respect.  So 
honored  and  respected  was  he  by  the  Athenians,  that  they 
entrusted  to  him  the  keys  of  the  citadel ;  and  when  he  died  they 
erected  to  his  memory  a  statue  of  brass. 

Zeno  the  stoic  had  a  Roman  spirit;  and  this  is  the  reason  why 
BO  many  noble  Romans  became  his  disciples :  he  had  deciphered 
the  wants  of  their  spiritual  nature. 

Alarmed  at  the  scepticism  which  seemed  inevitably  following 
speculations  of  a  metaphysical  kind,  Zano,  like  Epicurus,  fixed  his 
thoughts  principally  upon  morals.  His  philosophy  boasted  of 
being  eminently  practical,  and  connected  with  the  daily  practices 
of  life.  But,  for  this  purpose,  the  philosopher  must  not  regard 
pleasure  so  much  as  virtue :  nor  does  virtue  consist  in  a  life  of  con- 
templation, but  in  a  life  of  activity. 

Zeno  taught  as  follows :  Not  to  regard  pleasure  so  much  as  vir- 
tue :  nor  does  virtue  consist  in  a  life  of  contemplation  and  specula- 


78  APPENDIX. 

tion,  but  in  a  life  of  activity ;  for  what  is  virtue?  Virtue  is  man- 
hood. And  what  are  the  attributes  of  man?  Are  they  not 
obviously  the  attributes  of  an  active,  as  well  as  of  a  speculative 
being?  and  can  that  be  virtue  which  excludes  or  neglects  man's 
activity  ?  Man  was  not  made  for  speculation  only  ;  wisdom  is  not 
his  only  pursuit.  Man  was  not  made  for  enjoyment  only  ;  he  was 
made  also  to  do  somewhat,  and  to  be  somewhat. 

If  the  universe  be  subject  to  a  general  law,  every  part  of  that 
universe  must  also  be  duly  subordinate  to  it.  The  consequence  is 
clear  ;  there  is  but  one  formula  for  morals,  and  that  is,  "  Live  har- 
moniously with  nature,"  both  individual  and  universal  nature. 

The  Stoics  placed  the  supreme  good  in  rectitude  of  conduct,  with- 
out any  regard  to  the  event.  They  taught  that  nature  pointed  out 
to  us  certain  objects  of  choice  and  of  rejection,  and  amongst  these 
some  to  be  more  chosen  and  avoided  than  others :  and  that  virtue 
consisted  in  choosing  and  rejecting  objects  according  to  their 
intrinsic  value. 

"The  Stoics,  in  the  character  of  their  virtuous  man,  included 
rational  desire,  aversion,  and  exultation,  included  love  and  paren- 
tal affection,  friendship,  and  a  general  benevolence  to  all  man- 
kind." 

Nor  did  they  exclude  wealth  from  among  the  objects  of  choice. 
The  Stoic  Hecato,  in  his  Treatise  of  Offices  quoted  by  Cicero,  tells 
us,  "  That  a  wise  man,  while  he  abstains  from  doing  anything  con- 
trary to  the  customs,  laws,  and  institutions  of  his  country,  ought  to 
attend  to  his  own  fortune.  For  we  do  not  desire  to  be  rich  for 
ourselves  only,  but  for  our  children,  relations,  and  friends,  and 
especially  for  the  commonwealth,  inasmuch  as  the  riches  of  indi- 
viduals are  the  wealth  of  a  State." 

By  the  Stoics,  virtue  was  supposed  to  consist  in  the  affectionate 
performance  of  every  good  office  towards  their  fellow-creatures, 
and  in  full  resignation  to  Providence  for  everything  independent 
of  their  own  choice. 

"  The  Stoic  enlisted  himself  as  a  willing  instrument  in  the  hands 
of  God  for  the  good  of  his  fellow-creatures.  For  himself,  the  cares 
and  attentions  which  this  object  required  were  his  pleasures,  arid 
the  continued  exertion  of  a  beneficent  affection,  his  welfare  and  his 
prosperity." 

Uppn  the  whole,  it  cannot  be  disputed,  that  its  leading  doctrines 
are  agreeable  to  the  purest  principles  of  morality  and  religion. 


CLASSICAL  ANTIQUITY.  79 

Indeed,  they  all  terminate  in  one  maxim:  That  we  should  not 
make  the  attainment  of  things  external  an  ultimate  object,  but 
place  the  business  of  life  in  doing  our  duty,  and  leave  the  care  of 
our  happiness  to  him  who  made  us. 

It  was  the  precepts  of  this  school  which  rendered  the  supreme 
power  in  the  hands  of  Marcus  Aurelius  a  blessing  to  the  human 
race  ;  and  which  secured  the  private  happiness,  and  elevated  the 
minds  of  Helvidius  and  Thrasea  under  a  tyranny  by  which  their 
country  was  oppressed. 

CLASSICAL  ANTIQUITY. 

In  ancient  Rome  the  political  institutions,  and  therefore,  civil 
liberty,  were  the  organs  of  religious  consciousness. 

Now,  if  we  take  both  these  series  of  development  as  a  whole,  we 
shall  readily  convince  ourselves,  that  in  some  particular  branches 
history  shows  nothing  elsewhere  equal  in  splendor  to  the  phe- 
nomena presented  by  the  religious  consciousness  of  classical  anti- 
quity. This  holds  good,  more  especially,  of  its  manifestations  in 
public  life.  In  this  field,  freedom  forms  a  constant  unit.  And 
where  else  do  we  find  so  high  a  level  attained  by  the  community 
at  large,  combined  with  that  public  spirit  and  readiness  to  make 
sacrifices  for  the  common  wealth  of  a  beloved  and  free  fatherland, 
which  ever  betokens  a  high  grade  of  culture;  as  among  Greeks 
and  Romans?  Where  so  organic  au  unfolding,  elaboration,  and 
permanent  fruitage  of  ax-t  and  poetry  ?  Where  so  finished  a  form 
of  historical  and  philosophical  composition  ? 

And  the  social,  no  less  than  the  public  life  of  this  ancient  world, 
is  much  more  thoroughly  inter-penetrated  with  the  sense  of  divine 
sanction  than  is  that  of  our  modern  world. 

The  comparison  of  the  parallel  phenomena  presented  by  Aryan 
Christendom  and  classical  antiquity,  must  leave  a  depressing 
impression  on  the  impartial  observer. 

The  Romans  had  no  hereditary  sacred  code,  relating  to  spiritual 
and  moral  things,  similar  to  those  of  the  Hebrews,  or  even  such  as 
the  Greeks  possessed  in  that  early  period  we  have  in  view.  Nor, 
again,  had  the  Romans  any  prophets,  either  in  the  same  sense  as 
the  Hebrews,  or  such  as  the  Greeks  were  familiar  with. 

The  Romans  were  not  mere  warriors  and  conquerors.  They  had 
their  wise  law-givers,  who  made  efficient  regulations,  and  adhered 
to  them,  from  Servius  Tullius  onwards ;  courageous  Statesmen,  and 
upright  Judges. 


80  APPENDIX. 

CICERO. 

Cicero,  who  lived  B.  C  ,  106,  says :  that,  "Law  properly  under- 
stood, is  no  other  than  right  reason,  agreeing  with  nature,  spread 
abroad  among  men,  ever  consistent  with  itself,  eternal,  whose  office 
is  to  summon  to  duty  by  its  commands,  to  deter  from  vice  by  its 
prohibitions, — which,  however,  to  the  good  never  commands  or  for- 
bids in  vain,  never  influences  the  wicked,  either  by  commanding 
or  forbidding.  In  contradiction  to  this  law,  nothing  can  be  laid 
down,  nor  does  it  admit  of  partial  or  entire  repeal.  Nor  can  we  be 
released  from  this  law  either  by  vote  of  the  Senate,  or  decree  of 
the  people.  Nor  does  it  require  any  commentator,  or  interpreter 
besides  itself.  Nor  will  there  be  one  law  at  Athens,  and  another 
at  Rome,  one  now,  and  another  hereafter :  but  one  eternal,  immu- 
table law  will  both  embrace  all  nations  and  at  all  times.  And  there 
will  be  one  common  Master,  as  it  were,  and  Ruler  of  all,  namely, 
God,  the  great  Originator,  Expositor,  Enactor  of  this  Law  ;  which 
law,  whoever  will  not  obey,  will  be  flying  from  himself,  and 
having  treated  with  contempt  his  nature,  will,  in  that  very  fact, 
pay  the  greatest  penalty,  even  if  he  shall  have  escaped  other  pun- 
ishments, as  they  are  commonly  considered. 

All  men  acknowledge  that  which  we  are  led  by  nature  to  sup- 
pose, namely,  that  there  are  Gods. 

Surely  the  mighty  power  of  the  Infinite  Being  is  most  worthy  of 
our  great  and  earnest  contemplation. 

Ignorance  is  inconsistent  with  the  nature  of  the  Gods,  and  imbe- 
cility with  their  majesty. 

Is  he  worthy  to  be  called  man,  who  attributes  to  chance,  not  to 
an  intelligent  cause,  the  constant  motions  of  the  heavens,  the  regu- 
lar courses  of  the  stars,  the  agreeable  proportion  and  connection  of 
all  things,  conducted  with  so  much  reason,  that  our  intellect  itself 
is  unable  to  estimate  it  rightly.  When  we  see  machines  move  arti- 
ficially, as  a  sphere,  a  clock,  or  the  like,  do  we  doubt  whether  they 
are  the  production  of  reason  ?  And  when  we  behold  the  heavens 
moving  with  a  prodigious  celerity,  and  causing  an  annual  succes- 
sion of  the  different  seasons  of  the  year,  which  vivify  and  preserve 
all  things,  can  we  doubt  that  the  world  is  directed  by  a  reason 
most  excellent  and  divine? 

Among  men  there  is  no  nation  so  savage  and  ferocious  as  not  to 
admit  the  necessity  of  believing  in  a  God.  From  whence  we  con- 
clude that  every  man  must  recognize  a  Deity. 


PINDAR.  81 

The  law  of  virtue  is  the  same  in  God  and  man. 

What  nation  is  there,  which  has  not  a  regard  for  kindness, 
benignity,  and  gratitude?  What  nation  is  there,  in  which  arro- 
gance, cruelty,  and  unthajikfulness  are  not  reprobated  and  de- 
tested ? 

There  is  no  expiation  for  the  crimes  and  impieties  of  men.  The 
guilty,  therefore,  must  pay  the  penalty,  and  bear  the  punishment ; 
not  so  much  those  punishments  inflicted  by  courts  of  justice,  which 
were  not  always  in  being,  do  not  exist  at  present  in  many  places, 
and  even  where  established,  are  frequently  biased  and  partial, — 
but  those  of  conscience ;  while  the  furies  pursue  them,  not  with 
burning  torches  as  the  poets  feign,  but  with  remorse  of  conscience, 
and  the  tortures  arising  from  guilt. 

PINDAR. 

Pindar,  the  Theban,  a  Greek  Poet,  born  about  B.  C.  520,  had 
extraordinary  honors  paid  to  him  during  his  life,  and  after  his 
decease.  His  odes  and  religious  hymns  were  chanted  in  the 
temples  of  Greece  before  the  most  crowded  assemblies,  and  on  the 
most  solemn  occasions.  The  priestess  of  Apollo  at  Delphi  declared 
that  it  was  the  will  of  that  divinity  that  Pindar  should  receive 
half  of  the  first  fruits  offered  at  his  shrine.  The  Athenians  erected 
a  statue  of  brass  in  honor  of  him. 

Pindar  speaks  of  the  divine  load-stars  of  this  earthly  life,  virtue, 
piety,  and  reason,  which  ponder  on  the  seriousness  of  life,  and 
pious  reverence  for  moderation.  In  no  case  does  he  refer  man  to 
omens  and  dreams  and  auguries. 

The  Hellenes  possessed  no  sacred  historical  records,  and  there- 
fore, escaped,  the  dangers  of  deducing  intellectual  dogmas  of  belief 
from  historical  traditions  or  symbolical  legends  and  fables. 

Pindar  proclaimed,  that  in  human  destinies  a  divine  law  rules, 
and  this  is  the  same  law  which  the  wise  and  pious  man  discovers 
in  his  own  bosom. 

There  exists  an  Order  of  the  World  :  it  is  a  Moral  Order.  It 
subsists  not  only  for  the  brief  earthly  existence  of  the  soul,  for  it  is 
of  a  divine  nature ;  but  already  here  below  it  regulates  human 
destinies  with  a  divine  authority. 

Again,  he  declares  that,  human  things  have  their  origin  and 
subsistence  by  virtue  of  the  divine  element  which  resides  in  them. 

The  self-seeking  principle  in  individuals  or  states. 
F 


82  APPENDIX. 

Pindar  preached  this  doctrine,  not  after  the  fashion  of  an  Orphic 
theologian  :  he  set  it  before  all  men's  eyes  in  the  events  and 
experiences  of  actual  life.  If  any  one  expects  to  escape  the  notice 
of  the  Deity  in  doing  aught,  he  errs.  . 

As  many  as  have  steadfastness,  to  keep  their  soul  altogether 
from  unjust  actions,  accomplish  their  way  on  the  path  of  Zeus. 

Hateful  is  deceitful  speech,  meditating  guile,  ill  report  that 
maketh  mischief.  May  I  never  have  this  character,  Father  Zeus, 
but  may  I  hold  to  the  guileless  paths  of  life. 

As  to  what  shall  befall  us,  no  sure  presage  attends  men,  whereby 
they  may  foreknow  the  decrees  of  Providence. 

Hope  binds  the  frame  of  man  with  strong  enchantment. 

The  bitterest  end  awaits  the  pleasure  that  is  contrary  to  right. 

PLATO. 

•Plato  first  established  himself  at  Athens  as  a  lecturer  about 
386  B.  C. 

Plato  says  that,  in  order  to  be  happy,  a  man  must  be  at  once 
wise,  brave,  temperate,  just. 

He  does  not  indeed  lay  his  main  stress  on  the  retribution  and 
punishments  which  follow  injustice,  because  he  represents  injustice 
as  being  in  itself  a  state  of  misery,  to  the  unjust  agent:  nor  upon 
the  rewards  attached  to  justice,  because  he  represents  justice  itself 
as  a  state  of  intrinsic  happiness  to  the  just  agent. 

The  just  man  will  be  well-esteemed  and  well-treated  by  men; 
he  will  also  be  favored  and  protected  by  the  Gods,  both  in  this  life 
and  after  this  life.  The  unjust  man,  on  the  contrary,  will  be  ill- 
esteemed  and  ill-treated  by  men ;  he  will  be  disapproved  and 
punished  by  the  Gods,  both  while  he  lives,  and  after  his  death. 
Perhaps  for  a  time  the  just  man  may  seem  to  be  hardly  dealt  with 
and  miserable — the  unjust  man  to  be  prosperous  and  popular — but 
in  the  end,  all  this  will  be  reversed. 

Man  is  happy  or  miserable,  in  and  through  himself,  or  essentially; 
whether  he  be  known  to  Gods  and  men  or  not — whatever  may  be 
the  sentiment  entertained  of  him  by  others. 

Plato  declares  that  it  is  impracticable  and  impious  to  attempt 
to  appease  the  displeasure,  or  to  conciliate  the  favor  of  the  Gods 
by  means  of  prayer  and  sacrifice. 

He  accounts  it  a  greater  crime  to  believe  in  indulgent  and  per- 
suadeable  Gods,  than  noi  to  believe  in  any  Gods  at  all. 


EPICURUS.  83 

Every  one  loves,  desires,  or  aspires  to  happiness :  this  is  the 
fundamental  or  primordial  law  of  human  nature,  beyond  which  w 
cannot  push  enquiry.  Good,  or  good  things,  are  nothing  else  but 
the  means  to  happiness  :  accordingly  every  man,  loving  happiness, 
loves  good  also,  and  desires  not  only  full  acquisition,  but  perpetual 
possession  of  good. 

EPICURUS. 

Epicurus,  a  Greek  Philosopher,  280  B.  C.,  in  his  letter  to 
Mencecus  gives  his  Code  of  Morals,  and  mode  of  life,  at  some 
length,  which  are  as  follows:  "No  one,"  he  says,  "ought  to  think 
himself  too  young  or  too  old  for  philosophic  contemplation  :  since 
it  is  the  great  business  of  man  to  consider  what  is  requisite  to  the 
living  well :  happily  as  regards  himself,  and  worthily  as  regards  his 
relations  to  society.  And  in  the  first  place  as  a  needful  constituent 
of  this  knowledge,  we  must  take  care  that,  believing  God  to  be  an 
immortal  and  perfectly  happy  Being,  we  attribute  nothing  to  Him 
that  is  inconsistent  with  these  attributes."  Seneca  reproached 
Epicurus  with  reverencing  God  only  as  a  parent,  to  be  honored  and 
worshipped  for  His  excellence,  without  thinking  of  any  gain  to  be 
obtained  by  so  doing. 

"  The  wise  man,"  continues  Epicurus,  "  will  not  consider  the 
loss  of  life  an  evil,  but  as  food  is  chosen  for  its  quality,  rather  than 
its  quantity,  so  he  will  endeavor  to  make  his  life  pleasant  rather 
than  long.  It  is  needful  to  satisfy  oar  physical  wants  in  a  certain 
degree,  both  for  the  sake  of  living  in  comfort,  and  in  order  to  keep 
the  body  tranquil,  so  as  to  leave  the  mind  free  from  disturbance . 
for  our  endeavor  should  be  to  avoid  suffering  and  perturbation  j 
since  pleasure  is  the  great  object  of  life.  But  it  is  not  every  kind 
of  pleasure  that  will  be  sought  by  a  wise  man ;  for  luxurious  feasts 
are  not  needful  to  him  who  by  temperance  and  exercise  has  made 
his  bread  and  water  sweet  to  his  taste  ;  therefore  when  I  speak  of 
pleasure  as  the  summum  bonum  ;  I  do  not  mean  licentious  pleasures- 
for  he  only  enjoys  a  truly  happy  life,  who  examines  his  desires  by 
the  light  of  sober  reason,  and  determines  which  ought  to  be  qualified, 
which  repressed.  In  short,  no  man  can  live  happily  who  does  not 
live  wisely  and  justly,  and  no  man  can  live  wisely  and  justly  with, 
out  being  happy,  for  virtue  and  happiness  cannot  be  separated.  Nay> 
were  it  possible,  it  would  be  better  to  live  wisely  and  to  be 
unhappy,  than  to  be  irrational  and  fortunate.  One  who  acts  on 


84  APPENDIX. 

these  principles  lives  among  men  as  if  he  were  already  a  god ;  he 
has  nothing  about  him  that  resembles  the  brute  animal,  but  though 
a  man,  he  lives  among  the  immortals." 

SOCRATES. 

Socrates,  who  taught  430  years  B.  C.,  remarks,  that  honorable 
things  are  good  things,  and  that  every  one  without  exception 
desires  good.  On  this  point  all  men  are  alike  ;  the  distinctive 
features  of  virtue  must  then  consist  in  the  power  of  acquiring  good 
things,  such  as  health,  wealth,  money,  power,  dignities,  &c.  But 
the  acquisition  of  these  things  is  not  virtuous,  unless  it  be  made 
consistently  with  justice  and  moderation. 

Socrates  recommends  virtue  on  the  ground  of  its  remunerative 
consequences  to  the  agent,  in  the  shape  of  wealth  and  other  good 
things.  He,  as  well  as  Xenophon,  agree  in  the  same  doctrine: 
presenting  virtue  as  laborious  an!  troublesome  in  itself,  but  as  being 
fully  requited  by  its  remunerative  consequences  in  the  form  of 
esteem  and  honor,  to  the  attainment  of  which  it  is  indispensable. 

When  I  have  learnt,  says  SDcrate".?,  which  are  my  worst  and 
which  are  my  best  points,  I  shall  evidently  be  in  a  condition  to 
cultivate  and  pursue  the  latter,  and  resolutely  to  avoid  the  former. 

My  mission  from  the  Gods,  says  Socrates,  is  to  dispel  the  false 
persuasion  of  knowledge,  to  cross-examine  men  into  a  painful  con- 
viction of  their  own  ignorance,  and  to  create  in  them  a  lively 
impulse  towards  knowledge  and  virtue. 

Justice,  which  is  good  both  in  itself,  and  by  reason  of  its  con- 
sequences, I  rank  among  the  noblest  qualities. 

The  just  man  should  act  with' a  view  to  good. 

The  just  man  is  happy,  and  the  unjust  miserable. 

Socrates  maintains,  that  justice  is  good,  per  se,  ensuring  the 
happiness  of  the  agent  by  its  direct  and  intrinsic  effects  on  the 
mind  :  whatever  its  ulterior  consequences  may  be.  He  maintains 
indeed  that  these  ulterior  consequences  are  also  good  :  but  that 
they  do  not  constitute  the  paramount  benefit ;  or  the  main  recom- 
mendation of  justice  :  that  the  good  of  Justice,  per  se,  is  much 
greater. 

The  fundamental  principle  (Socrates  affirms)  to  which  cities 
or  communities  owe  their  origin,  is,  existence  or  wants  and  neces- 
sities in  ail  men.  No  single  man  is  sufficient  for  himself :  every 
one  is  in  want  of  many  things,  and  is  therefore  compelled  to  seek 
communion  or  partnership  with  neighbors  and  auxiliaries.  Reci- 


SOCRATES.  35 

procal  dealings  begin  :  each  gives  to  others,  and  receives  from  others, 
under  the  persuasion  that  it  is  better  for  him  to  do  so. 

In  regard  to  religion,  the  raising  of  temples,  arrangement  of 
sacrifices,  &c.,  we  know  nothing  about  these  matters.  We  must 
examine  it,  and  see  where  we  can  find  Justice  and  Injustice. 

Justice  is  in  the  mind  what  health  is  in  the  body,  when  the  parts 
are  so  arranged  as  to  control,  and  be  controlled  pursuant  to  the 
dictates  of  nature.  Injustice  is  in  the  mind  what  disease  is  in  the 
body,  when  the  parts  are  so  arranged  as  to  control,  and  be  con- 
trolled contrary  to  the  dictates  of  nature  ;  virtue  is  thus  health, 
beauty,  good  condition  of  the  mind  :  vice  is  the  disease,  ugliness, 
weakness  of  the  mind. 

It  is  profitable  to  a  man  to  be  just,  and  to  do  justice,  per  se,  even 
though  he  be  not  known  as  just  either  by  Gods  or  men,  and  may 
thus  be  debarred  from  the  consequences  which  would  ensue  if  he 
were  known.  It  is  unprofitable  to  him  to  bo  unjust,  even  though 
he  can  continue  to  escape  detection  and  punishment.  As  health 
is  the  greatest  good,  and  sickness  the  greatest  evil  of  the  body  : 
so  Justice  is  the  greatest  good,  and  Injustice  the  greatest  evil  of 
the  mind. 

Socrates  says,  that  the  Gods  are  good,  and  therefore  cannot  be 
the  cause  of  anything  except  good.  The  Gods  must  be  announced 
as  causes  of  all  the  good  which  exists.  No  poetical  tale  can  be 
tolerated  which  represents  the  Gods  as  assuming  the  forms  of 
different  persons,  and  going  about  to  deceive  men  into  false  beliefs. 

A  perfectly  reasonable  man  will  account  death  no  great  evil. 

If  a  man  passes  his  life  pleasurable  until  its  close,  it  may  be  said 
that  he  has  lived  well  :  at  least,  provided  he  lives  taking  pleasure 
in  fine  or  honorable  things. 

To  do  wrong  is  worse  than  to  suffer  wrong,  as  well  as  more 
disgraceful. 

If  a  man  be  punished  for  wrong  doing,  he  suffers  what  is  just, 
and  the  punisher  does  what  is  just. 

We  ought  to  do— continues  Socrates— what  is  pleasing  for  the 
sake  of  what  is  good  :  not  vice  versa.  But  every  thing  becomes 
good  by  possessing  its  appropriate  virtue  or  regulation.  The  regu- 
lation appropriate  to  the  mind  is,  to  be  temperate.  The  temperate 
man  will  do  what  is  just— his  duty  towards  men  :  and  what  is 
I10ly_his  duty  towards  the  Gods.  He  will  be  just  and  holy.  He 
will  therefore  also  be  courageous  :  for  he  will  seek  only  such  plea- 


86  APPENDIX. 

sures  as  duty  permits,  and  he  will  endure  all  such  pains  as  duty 
requires.  Being  thus  temperate,  just,  brave,  holy,  he  will  be  a  per- 
fectly good  man,  doing  well  and  honorably  throughout.  The  man 
who  does  well,  will  be  happy  :  the  man  who  does  ill,  and  is  wicked, 
will  be  miserable. 

Every  thing  has  its  own  fixed  and  determinate  essence,  not 
relative  to  us  nor  varying  according  to  our  will  and  pleasure,  but 
existing,  per  se,  as  nature  has  arranged.  All  agencies,  either  by  one 
thing  upon  other  things,  or  by  other  things  upon  it,  are  in  like  man- 
ner determined  by  nature,  independent  of  our  will  and  choice. 

XENOPHANES. 

Xenophanes  maintained  that  there  was  but  one  God,  identical 
with,  or  a  personification  of  the  whole  Uranus.  "  The  whole 
Kosmos,  or  the  whole  God,  sees,  hears,  and  thinks."  The  divine 
nature,  he  said,  did  not  admit  of  the  conception  of  separate  persons, 
one  governing  the  other,  or  of  want  and  imperfection  in  any  way. 

HERAKLEITUS. 

Herakleitus  says,  "  Every  man,  individually  considered,  was 
irrational :  reason  belonged  only  to  the  universal  or  to  the  whole, 
with  which  the  mind  of  each  living  man  was  in  conjunction,  renew- 
ing itself  by  perpetual  absorption,  inspiration  or  inhalation, 
transition,  and  impressions  through  the  senses." 

PROTAGORAS. 

Protagoras  asserts  that  no  good  citizen  can  be  without  a  sense  of 
justice,  and  of  shame. 

GRECIAN  HISTORY. 

Orpheus,  a  Thracian,  visited  Egypt  and  brought  from  thence 
the  doctrines  with  which  he  afterwards  corrupted  the  simple  reli- 
gion of  Greece,  The  doctrine  he  taught  was  that  of  One,  Self-exis- 
tent God,  the  Maker  of  all  things,  who  is  present  to  us  in  all  His 
works  ;  but  this  great  truth  was  disguised  under  a  mass  of  fables. 

Orpheus  taught  that  the  One  Supreme  Deity  was  the  source  of 
all.  and  that  tutelary  gods  of  air,  fire,  earth,  &c.,  were  in  fact  only 
emanations  of  his  power  made  manifest  to  men  by  visible  and  tan- 
gible objects.  But  when  the  Most  High  was  no  longer  to  be 
approached  by  the  vulgar,  the  especial  manifestations  was  soon 


SACRED  BOOK  OF  THE  MEXICANS.  87 

individualized,  and  a  polytheism,  which  probably  the  first  intro- 
ducers of  this  mysterious  doctrine,  never  contemplated,  was  built 
upon  it. 

The  mysterious  doctrine  of  Orpheus,  which  gave  tangibility  and 
distinctness  to  the  notions  of  the  Deity,  soon  struck  the  imagina- 
tions of  the  poet.  Homer  and  Hesiod  took  it  up  and  finished  the 
individualizing  process  by  giving  "names  and  forms  to  the  various 
sub-deities  of  the  different  powers  of  nature.  Yet  these  were  for  a 
long  time,  only  the  poetical  version  of  the  old  belief:  the  one  Su- 
preme God  still  held  the  reins,  and  Destiny  was  looked  up  to  as 
the  ruler  of  these  sub-gods  no  less  than  of  men. 

SACRED  BOOK  OF  THE  MEXICANS. 

We  gather  the  following  from  Mailer :  A  book  called  "  Popol 
Vuh,"  and  pretending  to  be  the  original  text  of  the  sacred  writings 
of  the  Indians  of  Central  America.  The  "  Popol  Vuh"  is  a  literary 
composition  in  the  true  sense  of  the  word.  It  contains  the  mythol- 
ogy and  history  of  the  civilized  races  of  Central  America,  and 
comes  before  us  with  credentials  that  will  bear  the  test  of  critical 
inquiry. 

"  Popol  Vuh  "  means  the  book  of  the  people,  and  referred  to  the 
traditional  literature  in  which  all  that  was  known  about  the  early 
history  of  the  nation,  their  religion  and  ceremonies,  was  handed 
down  from  age  to  age.  We  find  material  for  studying  their  char- 
acter, for  analyzing  their  religion  and  mythology,  for  comparing 
their  principles  of  morality,  their  views  of  virtue,  beauty,  and 
heroism,  to  those  of  other  races  of  mankind.  This  is  the  charm,  the 
roal  and  lasting  charm,  of  such  works  as  that  presented  to  us  for 
the  first  time  in  a  trustworthy  translation  by  the  Abbe  Brasseur  de 
Bourbourg.  There  are  some  coincidences  between  the  Old  Testa- 
ment and  the  Quiche  MS.  which  are  certainly  startling.  Yet  even 
if  a  Christian  influence  has  to  be  admitted,  much  remains  in  these 
American  traditions  which  is  so  different  from  anything  else  in  the 
national  literatures  of  other  countries,  that  we  may  safely  treat  it 
as  the  genuine  growth  of  the  intellectual  soil  of  America. 

EXTRACTS  FROM  "  POPOL  Vuu." 

The  Quiche  MS.  begins  with  an  account  of  the  creation,  the 
Quiches  believed  that  there  was  a  time  when  all  that  exists  in  hea- 
yea  and  earth  was  made.  All  was  then  in  suspense,  all  was  calm 


88  APPENDIX. 

and  silent ;  all  was  immovable,  all  peaceful,  and  the  vast  space  of 
the  heavens  was  empty.  There  was  no  man,  no  animal,  no  shore, 
no  trees ;  heaven  alone  existed.  The  face  of  the  earth  was  not  to 
be  seen  ;  there  was  only  the  still  expanse  of  the  sea  and  the  heaven 
above.  Divine  beings  were  on  the  waters  like  a  growing  light* 
Their  voice  was  heard  as  they  meditated  and  consulted,  and  when 
the  dawn  arose,  man  appeared.  Then  the  waters  were  commanded 
to  retire  ;  the  earth  was  established,  that  she  might  bear  fruit,  and 
that  the  light  of  day  might  shine  on  heaven  and  earth. 

"  For,  they  said,  we  shall  receive  neither  glory  nor  honor  from  all 
we  have  created  until  there  is  a  human  being — a  being  endowed 
with  reason.  '  Earth '  they  said,  and  in  a  moment  the  earth  was 
formed.  Like  a  vapor  it  rose  into  being,  mountains  appeared  from 
the  waters  like  lobsters,  and  the  great  mountains  were  made. — 
Thus  was  the  creation  of  the  earth,  when  it  was  fashioned  by  those 
who  are  the  Heart  of  heaven,  the  Heart  of  the  earth ;  for  thus  were 
they  called  who  first  gave  fertility  to  them,  heaven  and  earth  being 
still  inert  and  suspended  in  the  midst  of  the  waters." 

Then  follows  the  creation  of  the  brute  world,  and  the  disappoint- 
ment of  the  gods  when  they  commanded  the  animals  to  tell  their 
names,  and  to  honor  those  who  had  created  them.  Then  the  gods 
said  to  the  animals  : 

"  You  will  be  changed,  because  you  cannot  speak.  We  have 
changed  your  speech.  You  shall  have  your  food  and  your  dens  in 
the  woods  and  crags ;  for  our  glory  is  not  perfect,  and  you  do  not 
invoke  us.  There  will  be  beings  still  that  can  salute  us ;  we  .^hall 
make  them  capable  of  obeying.  Do  your  task  ;  as  to  your  flesh,  it 
will  be  broken  by  the  tooth." 

Then  follows  the  creation  of  man.  His  flesh  was  made  of  earth — 
terre  glaise. — But  man  was  without  cohesion  or  power,  inert  and 
aqueous  ;  he  could  not  turn  his  head,  his  sight  was  dim,  and  though 
he  had  the  gift  of  speech,  he  had  no  intellect.  He  was  soon  con- 
sumed again  in  the  water. 

And  the  gods  consulted  a  second  time  how  to  create  beings  that 
should  adore  them,  and  after  some  magic  ceremonies,  men  were 
made  of  wood,  and  they  multiplied.  But  they  had  no  heart,  no 
intellect,  no  recollection  of  their  Creator ;  they  did  not  lift  up  their 
heads  to  their  Maker,  and  they  withered  away  and  were  swallowed 
up  by  the  waters. 


SACRED  BOOK   OF  THE  MEXICANS.  89 

Then  follows  a  third  creation,  man  being  made  of  a  tree  called 
"  tzite,"  woman  of  the  marrow  of  a  reed  called  "sibac."  They, 
too,  did  neither  think  or  speak  before  him  who  had  made  them, 
and  they  were  likewise  swept  away  by  the  waters  and  destroyed. 
The  whole  nature — animals,  trees,  and  stones — turned  against  men 
to  revenge  the  wrongs  they  had  suffered  •  at  their  hands,  and  the 
only  remnant  of  that  early  race  is  to  found  in  small  monkeys  which 
still  live  in  the  forests. 

Three  attempts,  as  we  saw,  had  been  made  and  had-failed.  We 
now  hear  again  that  before  the  beginning  of  dawn,  and  before  the 
sun  and  moon  had  risen,  man  had  been  made,  and  that  nourish- 
ment was  provided  for  him  which  was  to  supply  his  blood,  namely, 
yellow  and  white  maize.  Four  men  are  mentioned  as  the  real 
ancestors  of  the  human  race,  or  rather  of  the  race  of  the  Quiches. 
They  were  neither  begotten  by  the  gods,  nor  born  of  woman,  but 
their  creation  was  a  wonder  wrought  by  the  Creator.  They  could 
reason  and  speak,  their  sight  was  unlimited,  and  they  knew  all 
things  at  once.  When  they  had  rendered  thanks  to  their  Creator 
for  their  existence,  the  gods  were  frightened,  and  they  breathed  a 
cloud  over  the  eyes  of  men  that  they  might  see  a  certain  distance 
only,  and  not  be  like  the  gods  themselves.  Then  while  the  four 
men  were  asleep,  the  gods  gave  them  beautiful  wives,  and  these 
became  the  mothers  of  all  tribes,  great  and  small.  These  tribes, 
both  white  and  black,  lived  and  spread  in  the  East.  They  did  not 
yet  worship  the  gods,  but  only  turned  their  faces  up  to  heaven, 
hardly  knowing  what  they  were  meant  to  do  here  below.  Their 
features  were  sweet,  so  was  their  language,  and  their  intellect  was 
strong. 

A  legend  which  is  current  among  the  Thlinkithians,  who  are  one 
of  the  four  principal  races  inhabiting  Russian  America,  is  as  fol- 
lows :  They  believe  in  a  general  flood  or  deluge,  and  that  men 
saved  themselves  in  a  large  floating  building.  When  the  waters 
fell,  the  building  was  wrecked  on  a  rock,  and  by  its  own  weight 
burst  into  two  pieces.  Hence  arose  the  difference  of  languages. 
The  Thlinkithians  with  their  language  remained  on  one  side;  on 
the  other  side  were  all  the  other  races  of  the  earth. 

Neither  the  Esthonian  nor  the  Thlinkithian  legend,  however, 
offers  any  striking  points  of  coincidence  with  the  Mosaic  accounts. 
The  analogies,  therefore,  as  well  as  the  discrepancies,  between  the 


90  APPENDIX. 

ninth  chapter  of  Genesis  and  the  chapter  here  tranlated  from  the 
Quiche  MS.  require  special  attention. 

BELIEFS  OF  THE  AMERICAN   INDIANS. 

Muller  says,  "the  Greenlander  believes  that  when  a  man  die? 
his  soul  travels  to  Torngarsuk,  the  land  where  reigns  perpetual 
summer,  all  sunshine  and  no  night ;  where  there  is  good  water, 
and  birds,  and  fish,  seals,  and  roindeer  without  end,  that  are  to  be 
caught  without  trouble,  or  are  found  cooking  alive  in  a  huge  kettle. 
But  the  journey  to  this  land  is  difficult;  the  souls  have  to  slide 
five  days  or  more  down  a  precipice,  all  stained  with  the  blood  of 
those  who  have  gone  down  before.  And  it  is  especially  grievous 
for  the  poor  souls,  when  the  journey  must  be  made  in  winter  or  in 
tempest,  for  then  a  soul  may  come  to  harm,  or  suffer  the  other 
death,  as  they  call  it. 

The  native  tribes  of  the  lower  end  of  South  America  believe  in 
two  great  powers  of  good  and  evil,  but  likewise  in  a  number  of 
inferior  deities.  These  are  supposed  to  have  been  the  creators  and 
ancestors  of  different  families,  and  hence  when  an  Indian  dies  his 
soul  goes  to  live  with  the  deity  who  presides  over  his  particular 
family.  These  deities  have  each  their  separate  habitations  in  vast 
caverns  under  the  earth,  and  thither  the  departed  repair  to  enjoy 
the  happiness  of  being  eternally  drunk. 

Messrs.  Lewis  and  Clarke  give  the  following  account  of  the  belief 
in  a  future  state  entertained  by  another  American  tribe,  the  Man- 
dans  : 

"  Their  belief  in  a  future  state  is  connected  with  this  tradition  of 
their  origin  :  The  whole  nation  resided  in  one  large  village  under 
ground  near  a  subterraneous  lake.  A  grape-vine  extended  its  roots 
down  to  their  habitation  and  gave  them  a  view  of  the  light.  Some 
of  the  most  adventurous  climbed  up  the  vine,  and  were  delighted 
with  the  sight  of  the  earth,  which  they  found  covered  with  buffalo, 
and  rich  with  every  kind  of  fruit.  Returning  with  the  grapes  they 
had  gathered,  their  countrymen  were  so  pleased  with  the  taste  of 
them  that  the  whole  nation  resolved  to  leave  their  dull  residence 
for  the  charms  of  the  upper  region.  Men,  women,  and  children 
ascended  by  means  of  the  vine,  but  when  about  half  the  nation  had 
reached  the  surface  of  the  earth,  a  corpulent  woman  who  was  clam- 
bering up  the  vine,  broke  it  with  her  weight,  and  closed  upon  her- 
self and  the  rest  of  the  nation  the  light  of  the  sun.  Those  who 


BELIEF  OF  NEW  HOLLANDERS— ICELANDERS.     Ql 

were  left  on  earth  made  a  village  below  where  we  saw  the  vine 
villages ;  and  when  the  Mandans  die  they  expect  to  return  to  the 
original  seats  of  their  forefathers,  the  good  reaching  the  ancient 
village  by  means  of  the  lake,  which  the  burden  of  the  sins  of  the 
wicked  will  not  enable  them  to  cross." 

Catlin's  account  of  the  Choctaw  belief  in  a  future  state  is 
equally  curious.  They  hold  that  the  spirit  lives  after  death,  and 
that  it  has  a  great  distance  to  travel  towards  the  west ;  that  it  has 
to  cross  a  dreadful,  deep,  and  rapid  stream,  over  which,  from  hill 
to  hill,  there  lies  a  loilg,  slippery  pine  log,  with  the  bark  peeled  off. 
Over  this  the  dead  have  to  pass  before  they  reach  the  delightful 
hunting-grounds.  The  good  walk  on  safely,  though  six  people 
from  the  other  side  throw  stones  at  them ;  but  the  wicked,  trying 
to  dodge  the  stones,  slip  off  the  log  and  fall  thousands  of  feet  into 
the  water  which  is  dashing  over  the  rocks. 

BELIEF  OF  THE  NEW  HOLLANDERS. 

The  New  Hollanders,  according  to  Mr.  Oldfield,  believe  that  all 
who  are  good  men  and  have  been  properly  buried,  enter  heaven 
after  death.  Heaven,  which  is  the  abode  of  the  two  good  divinities, 
is  represented  as  a  delightful  place,  where  there  is  abundance  of 
game  and  food,  never  any  excess  of  heat  or  cold,  rain  or  drought, 
no  malign  spirits,  no  sickness  or  death  ;  but  plenty  of  rioting,  sing- 
ing, and  dancing  for  evermore.  They  also  believe  in  an  evil  spirit 
who  dwells  in  the  nethermost  regions,  and,  strange  to  say,  they 
represent  him  with  horns  and  a  tail. 

OF  THE  ICELANDERS. 

The  following  traditions  in  relation  to  creation  are  contained  in 
the  book  Edda,  the  sacred  book  of  the  Icelanders. 

'"Twaslhe  morning  of  time, 
When  yet  naught  was, 
Nor  sand  nor  sea  were  there, 
Nor  cooling  streams; 
Earth  was  not  formed, 
Nor  heaven  above ; 
A  yawning  gap  there  was, 
And  grass  nowhere." 

In  the  "  Edda,"  man  is  said  to  have  been  created  out  of  an  nsh- 
tree,  and  God  is  portrayed  as  follows :  "  Who  is  first  and  eldest  of 


92  APPENDIX. 

all  gods?"  He  is  called  "  Allfadir,"— the  Father  of  All,  the  Great 
Father — in  our  tongue.  He  lives  from  all  ages,  and  rules  over  his 
realm  and  sways  all  things,  great  and  small.  He  made  heaven  and 
earth,  and  the  sky,  and  all  that  belongs  to  them ;  and  he  made 
man,  and  gave  him  a  soul  that  shall  live  and  never  perish,  though 
the  body  rot  to  mould,  or  burn  to  ashes.  All  men  that  are  right- 
minded  shall  live,  and  be  with  him  in  a  place  called  "  Vingolf:" 
but  wicked  ones  fare  to  Hell  and  thence  into  Niflhell,  that  is, 
beneath  in  the  ninth  world. 

CHRISTIAN  THEOLOGY  NO  RESTRAINT. 

We  have  heretofore  remarked  that  all  motives  to  virtue  have 
their  only  foundation  in,  and  all  good  works  proceed  from,  the  moral 
faculties — that  is  the  conscience,  and  the  instincts  originally  given 
to  man ;  and  that  the  evil-doings  of  man  find  their  only  check  or 
restraint  in  this  reflex  of  God  in  man.  There  is  no  restraint  found 
in  the  Christian  theology,  or  elsewhere,  not  found  in  every  man's 
conscience :  while  on  the  other  hand,  history  shows  us  that  Chris- 
tianity has  been  the  most  powerful  of  all  agents  in  stifling  the  voice 
of  conscience,  and  in  bringing  horrors  and  calamities  upon  man- 
kind. The  assertion  may  seem  a  startling  one,  but  its  truth  can 
scarcely  be  denied  by  the  reader,  who  follows  us  through  the  dismal 
record  of  great  crimes  committed  by  people  supposed  to  be  specially 
chosen  of  God  and  enjoying  his  immediate  supervision,  by  others 
taking  the  Old  Testament  as  their  guide,  and  by  others  still,  whose 
iniquities  and  atrocities  were  perpetrated  in  the  name  of  Jesus. 
We  propose  to  glance  successively,  at  the  bloody  contentions  of  the 
early  Church;  at  the  crimes  and  corruptions  of  the  Church  during 
the  Middle  Ages ;  at  the  Crusades ;  at  the  persecutions  of  the  Jews 
by  the  Christians;  at  the  sacrifice  of  human  life  in  the  so-called 
holy  wars  waged  by  Christians  for  theological  opinions  alone ;  at 
the  persecution  of  the  Protestants  by  the  Catholics;  at  the  massacre 
of  St.  Bartholomew,  under  a  king,  one  of  whose  titles  was,  the 
"  Most  Christian  ;"  at  the  cruel  course  of  Spain  in  overrunning  and 
despoiling  Mexico  and  Peru. 

Let  us  commence  with  the 

CONTENTIONS  OF  THE  EARLY  CHURCH. 

From  the  Trinitarian  controversy  which  began  in  the  reign  of 
Constantino — about  A.  D.  323 — we  may  date  the  introduction  of 


CONTENTIONS  OF  THE   EARLY  CHURCH.        93 

rigorous  articles  of  belief,  which  required  the  submissive  assent  of 
the  mind  to  every  word  and  letter  of  an  established  creed,  and 
which  raised  the  slightest  heresy  of  opinions  into  a  more  fatal 
offence  against  God,  and  a  more  odious  crime  in  the  estimation  of 
man,  than  the  worst  moral  delinquency  or  the  most  flagrant  devia- 
tion from  the  spirit  of  Christianity. 

Such  was  the  question  which  led  to  all  the  evils  of  human 
strife, — hatred,  persecution,  bloodshed. 

The  distribution  of  the  superior  dignities  of  the  Church  became 
an  object  of  fatal  ambition  and  strife.  The  streets  of  Alexandria 
and  of  Constantinople  were  deluged  with  blood  by  the  partisans 
of  rival  bishops. 

In  the  latter,  an  officer  of  high  distinction,  sent  by  the  Emperor 
to  quell  the  tumult,  was  slain,  and  his  body  treated  with  the  utmost 
indignity  by  the  infuriated  populace. 

The  triumph  of  the  Catholics  in  Egypt  was  accompanied  by 
every  variety  of  plunder,  murder,  sacrilege  and  outrage,  and  Arius 
himself  was  probably  poisoned  by  Catholic  hands.  The  followers 
of  St.  Cyril  of  Alexandria,  who  were  chiefly  monks,  filled  their 
city  with  riot  and  bloodshed,  wounded  the  prefect  Orestes,  dragged 
the  pure  and  gifted  Hypatia  into  one  of  their  churches,  murdered 
her,  tore  the  flesh  from  her  bones  with  sharp  shells,  and  having 
stripped  her  body  naked,  flung  the  mangled  remains  into  the  flames. 
In  Ephesus,  during  the  contest  between  St.  Cyril  and  the  Nesto- 
rians,  the  cathedral  itself  was  the  theatre  of  a  fierce  and  bloody 
conflict.  Constantinople,  on  the  occasion  of  the  deposition  of  St. 
Chrysostom,  was  for  several  days  in  a  condition  of  absolute  anarchy. 
After  the  Council  of  Chalcedon,  Jerusalem  and  Alexandria  were 
again  convulsed,  and  the  Bishop  of  the  latter  city  was  murdered 
in  his  baptistry.  Athanasius  stand  out  as  the  prominent  char- 
acter of  the  period  in  the  history  of  Christianity.  That  history  is 
one  long  controversy,  the  life  of  Athanasius,  one  unwearied  and 
incessant  strife.  It  is  neither  the  serene  course  of  a  being  elevated 
by  his  religion  above  the  cares  and  tumults  of  ordinary  life,  nor 
the  restless  activity  of  one  perpetually  employed  in  a  conflict  with 
the  ignorance,  vice,  and  misery  of  an  unconverted  people.  Yet 
even  now  (so  completely  has  this  polemic  spirit  become  incor- 
porated with  Christianity)  the  memory  of  Athanasius  is  regarded 
by  many  wise  and  good  men  with  reverence,  which  in  Catholic 
countries,  is  actual  adoration,  in  Protestant  approaches  towards  it. 


94  APPENDIX. 

A  council  was  held  at  Tyre,  in  which  Athanasius  was  deposed 
and  Gregory  appointed  in  his  stead.  Scenes  of  savage  conflict 
ensued,  the  churches  were  taken  as  it  were  by  storm  ;  the  priests 
of  the  Athanasian  party  were  treated  with  the  utmost  indignity  ; 
virgins  scourged ;  every  atrocity  perpetuated  by  unbridled  multi- 
tudes, embittered  by  every  shade  of  religious  faction.  Athanasius 
returned  for  a  time  to  Alexandria,  but  was  again  deposed. 

The  Arians  exacted  ample  vengeance  for  their  long  period  of 
depression,  houses  were  plundered,  monasteries  burned ;  tombs 
broken  open,  to  search  for  concealed  Athanasians,  or  for  the 
prelate  himself,  who  still  eluded  their  pursuit,  bishops  were 
insulted  ;  virgins  scourged :  the  soldiery  encouraged  to  break  up 
every  meeting  of  the  Catholics  by  violence,  and  even  by  inhuman 
tortures.  The  duke  Sebastian,  at  the  head  of  three  thousand 
troops,  charged  a  meeting  of  the  Athanasian  Christians.  No 
barbarity  was  too  revolting;  they  are  said  to  have  employed 
instruments  of  torture  to  compel  them  to  Christian  unity  with  the 
Arians ;  females  were  scourged  with  the  prickly  branches  of  the 
palm  tree. 

Persecution  was  universal — persecution  by  every  means  of 
violence  and  cruelty  ;  the  only  question  was,  in  whose  hands  was 
the  power  to  persecute.  Bloodshed,  murder,  treachery,  assassina- 
tion, even  during  the  public  worship  of  God — these  were  the 
frightful  means  by  which  each  party  strove  to  maintain  its  opinions, 
and  to  defeat,  its  adversary.  The  most  unaggressive  and  unobtru- 
sive forms  of  Paganism  were  persecuted  with  the  same  ferocity. 

To  offer  a  sacrifice  was  to  commit  a  capital  offence, — and  yet  the 
offering  of  Jesus  as  a  sacrifice  for  man's  sin,  is  claimed  as  the 
foundation  of  Christian  Theology. — To  hang  up  a  simple  chaplet 
was  to  incur  the  forfeiture  of  an  estate. 

Contrast  with  this,  the  policy  of  the  Pagan  emperor,  Julian, 
thus  described  by  his  favorite  orator: 

"  He  thought  that  neither  fire,  nor  sword,  could  change  the  faith 
of  mankind  :  the  heart  disowns  the  hand  which  is  compelled  by 
terror  to  sacrifice.  Persecutions  only  make  hypocrites  who  are 
unbelievers  throughout  life,  or  martyrs  honored  after  death."  He 
strictly  prohibited  the  putting  to  death  the  Galileans — his  favorite 
appellation  of  the  Christians, — as  worthy  rather  of  compassion  than 
of  hatred.  Julian  revoked  the  sentence  of  banishment  pronounced 
against  Arians,  Apollinarians,  and  Donatists.  He  determined,  it 


LATER   CRIMES  OF  THE  CHURCH.  95 

is  said,  to  expose  them  to  a  sort  of  public  exhibition  of  intellectual 
gladiatorship.  He  summoned  the  advocates  of  the  several  sects 
to  dispute  in  his  presence,  and  presided  with  mock  solemnity  over 
their  debates.  His  own  voice  was  drowned  in  the  clamor,  till  at 
length,  as  though  to  contrast  them,  to  their  disadvantage,  with  the 
wild  barbarian  warriors  with  whom  he  had  been  engaged.  "  Hear 
me,"  exclaimed  the  emperor :  "  The  Franks  and  the  Alemanni 
have  heard  me."  "  No  wild  beasts,"  he  said,  "Are  so  savage  and 
intractable  as  Christian  sectaries." 

During  the  reign  of  Anastasius,  two  hundred  Eastern  monks, 
headed  by  Severus,  were  permitted  to  land  in  Constantinople ; 
they  here  found  an  honorable  reception.  Other  monks  of  the 
opposite  faction  swarmed  from  Palestine.  The  two  black  cowled 
armies  watched  each  other  for  some  months,  working  in  secret  on 
their  respective  partisans. 

At  last  there  was  a  wild,  fierce  fray,  the  presence  ot  the 
Emperor  lost  its  awe ;  he  could  not  maintain  the  peace.  The 
Bishop  Macedonius  took  the  lead.  Men,  women,  children,  poured 
out  from  all  quarters ;  the  monks,  at  the  head  of  the  raging 
multitude,  echoed  their  religious  war  cries. 

Throughout  Asiatic  Christendom  it  was  the  same  wild  struggle. 
Bishops  were  deposed  quietly ;  or  where  resistance  was  made,  the 
two  factions  fighting  in  the  streets,  in  the  churches  :  cities,  even  the 
holiest  places  ran  with  Christian  blood. — Milmaris  History  of 
Christianity. 

LATER  CRIMES  OF  THE  CHURCH. 

In  A.  D.  498,  the  feuds  of  the  Roman  clergy,  broke  out  on  the 
customary  occasion  of  the  election  of  a  new  Pope.  Each  party 
elected  their  Pope.  The  two  factions  encountered  with  the  fiercest 
hostility ;  the  clergy,  the  senate,  and  the  populace  were  divided ; 
the  streets  of  the  Christian  city  ran  with  blood.  The  contest  was 
decided  by  Theodoric,  the  Gothic  king  of  Italy.  But  not  long 
after,  the  sanguinary  tumults  between  the  two  factions  broke  out 
with  greater  fury :  priests  were  slain,  monasteries  fired,  and  even 
cacred  virgins  treated  with  the  utmost  indignity. 

\Vith  the  power  of  the  clergy  increased  both  those  other  sources 
}f  influence,  pomp  and  wealth. 

Distinctions  in  station  and  in  authority  naturally  lead  to  distinc- 
tions in  manners,  and  those  adventitious  circumstances  of  dress  and 


96  APPENDIX. 

habits,  which  designate  different  ranks.     The  ministering  function- 
aries multiplied,  with  the  rapidly  increasing  variety  and  pomp. 

At  the  festival  of  a  martyr,  the  day  closed  with  an  open  ban- 
quet, in  which  all  the  worshippers  were  invited  to  partake.  As 
the  evening  drew  on,  the  solemn  and  religious  thoughts  gave  way 
to  other  emotions,  the  wine  flowed  freely,  and  the  healths  of  the 
martyrs  were  pledged,  not  unfrequently  to  complete  inebriety. 
Dances  were  admitted,  pantomimic  spectacles  were  exhibited,  the 
festivals  were  prolonged  till  late  in  the  evening,  or  to  midnight,  so 
that  other  criminal  irregularities  profaned,  if  not  the  sacred  edifice, 
its  immediate  neighborhood. 

A  demoniac  accused  the  Bishop  Fortunatus  of  refusing  him  the 
rights  of  hospitality  ;  a  poor  peasant  receives  the  possessed  into  his 
house,  and  is  punished  for  this  inferential  disrespect  to  the  Bishop, 
by  seeing  his  child  cast  into  the  fire  and  burnt  before  his  eyes. 
A  poor  fellow  with  a  monkey  and  cymbals  is  struck  dead  for  unin- 
tentionally interrupting  a  Bishop  Boniface  in  prayer. 

In  A.  D.  726,  the  emperor  Leo  issued  an  edict,  commanding  the 
total  destruction  of  all  images,  and  the  white-washing  the  walls  of 
the  churches.  The  thronging  multitude,  saw  with  horror,  the  officer 
mount  the  ladder.  The  women  seized  the  ladder,  threw  down  the 
officer,  and  beat  him  to  death  with  clubs.  The  emperor  sent  an 
armed  guard  to  suppress  the  tumult;  a  frightful  massacre  took 
place.  The  pious  were  punished  with  mutilations,  scourgings, 
exile,  confiscation  :  the  schools  of  learning  were  closed,  a  magnifi- 
cent library  burned  to  the  ground. 

At  the  accession  of  Constantino  Copronymus,  two  religious  par- 
ties divided  the  empire.  A  battle  took  place  near  Ancira,  fought 
with  all  the  ferocity  of  civil  and  religious  war.  The  historian 
expresses  his  horror  that,  among  Christians,  fathers  should  thus  be 
engaged  in  the  slaughter  of  their  children,  brothers  of  brothers.  • 

Charlemagne  was  prodigal  of  grants  of  land  to  churches  and 
monasteries.  But  these  estates  were  not  always  obtained  from  the 
pious  generosity  of  the  king  or  the  nobles.  The  stewards  of  the 
poor  were  the  spoilers  of  the  poor.  They  compelled  the  poor  free 
man,  to  sell  his  property,  or  forced  him  to  serve  in  the  army,  and 
that  on  permanent  or  continual  duty,  and  so  to  leave  his  land 
either  without  owner,  with  all  the  chances  that  he  might  not  return, 
or  to  commit  it  to  the  custody  of  those  who  remained  at  home  in 

• 
j 


LATER  CRIMES  OF  THE  CHURCH.  97 

quiet  and  seized  every  opportunity  of  entering  into  possession. 
Ko  Naboth's  vineyard  escaped  their  watchful  avarice. 

The  payment  of  tithe  originated  in  the  following  manner:  Pepin 
had  commanded  the  payment  of  tithe  for  the  celebration  of  pecu- 
liar litanies  during  a  period  of  famine.  Charlemagne  made  it  a 
law  of  the  empire  :  he  enacted  it  in  its  most  strict  and  comprehen- 
sive form,  as  investing  the  clergy  in  a  right  to  the  tenth  of  the  sub- 
stance, and  of  the  labor  alike  of  freeman  and  the  serf.  The  collec- 
tion of  tithe  was  regulated  by  compulsory  statutes;  the  clergy 
took  note  of  all  who  paid  or  refused  to  pay;  the  contumacious  were 
three  times  summoned,  if  still  obstinate,  excluded  from  the  church; 
if  they  still  refused  to  pay,  they  were  fined  over  and  above  the 
whole  tithe,  six  solidi ;  if  further  contumacious,  the  recusant's  house 
was  shut  up ;  if  he  attempted  to  enter  it,  he  was  cast  into  prison. 
This  tithe  was  by  no  means  a  spontaneous  votive  offering  of  the 
whole  Christian  people — it  was  a  tax  imposed  by  Imperial  author- 
ity, enforced  by  Imperial  power.  It  had  caused  one,  if  not  more 
than  one  sanguinary  insurrection  among  the  Saxons.  It  was  sub- 
mitted to  in.  other  parts  of  the  empire,  not  without  strong  reluc- 
tance. 

In  A.  D.  974,  during  the  pontificate  of  Benedict  VI.,  Bonifazio,  a 
Cardinal  Deacon,  seized  the  unsuspecting  Pope,  and  cast  him  into  a 
dungeon,  where  shortly  after  he  was  strangled.  Bonifazio  assumed 
the  papacy ;  but  he  had  miscalculated  the  strength  of  his  faction, 
in  one  month  he  was  forced  to  fly  from  the  city.  Yet  he  fled 
not  with  so  much  haste,  but  that  he  carried  off  all  the  treasures, 
even  the  sacred  vessels  from  the  church  of  St.  Peter. 

Suddenly  the  fugitive  Bonifazio,  re-appeared  in  Rome,  seized 
the  Pope,  imprisoned  him  in  the  Castle  of  St.  Angelo,  of  which 
important  fortress  he  had  become  master,  and  there  put  him  to 
death  by  starvation  or  by  poison.  He  exposed  the  body  to  the 
view  of  the  people,  who  dared  not  murmur,  he  seated  himself,  as 
it  seems,  unresisted,  in  the  papal  chair,  but  soon  after  died.  The 
people  revenged  themselves  for  their  own  base  acquiescence  in  his 
usurpation,  by  cowardly  insults  on  his  dead  body  ;  by  dragging  it 
through  the  streets. 

For  twelve  years  Benedict  IX.  ruled  in  Rome,  in  the  words  of 

one  of  his  successors,  Victor  III,  leading  a  life  so  shameful,  so  foul 

and  execrable,  that  he  shuddered  to  describe  it.     He  ruled  like  a 

captain  of  banditti,  rather  than  a  prelate.     Adulteries,  homicides, 

o 


98  APPENDIX. 

perpetrated  by  his  own  hand,  passed  unnoticed,  unrevenged.  He 
became  deeply  enamored  of  his  cousin.  The  father  refused  his 
daughter,  unless  the  Pope  would  surrender  the  papacy. 

He  actually  sold  the  papacy  to  an  arch-Presbyter,  named  John. 

There  were  at  one  time  three  Popes,  by  themselves,  or  by  their 
factions,  engaged  in  deadly  feud.  They  laid  aside,  or  taught  each 
other  to  despise,  their  spiritual  arms ;  they  encountered  with  the 
carnal  weapons  of  ordinary  warfare. — Milmaris  History  of  Latin 
Christianity. 

For  ten  dreary  years. — A.  D.  1198, — with  but  short  intervals  of 
truce,  Germany  was  abandoned  to  all  the  horrors  of  civil  war. 
The  repeated  protestations  of  Innocent,  that  he  was  not  the  cause 
of  these  fatal  discords,  betray  the  fact  that  he  was  accused  of  the 
guilt;  and  that  he  had  to  wrestle  with  his  own  conscience  to 
acquit  himself  of  the  charge.  It  was  a  war,  not  of  decisive  battles, 
but  of  marauding,  desolation,  havoc,  plunder,  wasting  of  harvests, 
ravaging  open  and  defenceless  countries ;  war  waged  by  Prelate 
against  Prelate,  by  Prince  against  Prince ;  wild  Bohemians  and 
bandit  soldiers  of  every  race  were  roving  through  every  province. 
Throughout  the  land  there  was  no  law :  the  high  roads  were 
impassable  on  account  of  robbers ;  traffic  cut  off,  except  on  the 
great  rivers  from  Cologne  down  the  Rhine,  from  Ratisbon  down  the 
Danube;  nothing  Was  spared,  nothing  sacred,  church  or  cloister. 
Some  monasteries  were  utterly  impoverished,  some  destroyed. 
The  ferocities  of  war  grew  into  brutalities  ;  the  clergy  and  sacred 
persons,  were  the  victims  and  perpetrators.  The  wretched  nun, 
who,  it  is  said,  was  stripped  naked,  anointed  with  honey,  rolled  in 
feathers,  and  then  set  on  a  horse  with  her  face  to  the  tail,  and 
paraded  through  the  streets,  was  no  doubt  only  recorded  because 
her  fate  was  somewhat  more  horrible  then  that  of  many  of  her 
sisters.  The  Abbot  of  St.  Gall  seized  six  of  the  principal  burghers 
cf  Arbon,  and  cut  off  their  feet,  in  revenge  for  one  of  his  servants 
who  had  suffered  the  like  mutilation  for  lopping  wood  in  their 
forests. 

In  these  times — A.  D.  1200 — began  the  persecutions  of  the  so- 
called  Heretics  ;  for  men  were  beginning  to  weary  of  the  narrow 
and  complicated  theology  of  the  Church,  and  to  believe  only  that 
which  they  found  in  their  own  hearts.  Fires  were  kindled  and 
heretics  burned,  in  Oxford,  in  Rheims,  in  Arras,  in  Eesanc,on,  in 
Cologne,  in  Treves,  in  Vezelay.  In  this  latter  stately  monastery, 


LATER  CRIMES  OF  THE  CHURCH.  99 

the  Archbishops  of  Lyons  and  Narbonne,  the  Bishops  of  Nevers  and 
Laon,  and  many  abbots  and  great  theologians,  sat  in  solemn  judg- 
ment on  some,  it  should  seem  poor  ignorant  men,  called  Publicans. 
They  denied  all  but  God,  they  absolutely  rejected  all  the  Sacra- 
ments, infant  baptism,  the  Eucharist,  the  sign  of  the  cross,  holy- 
water,  the  efficacy  of  tithes,  and  oblations,  marriages,  monkhood,  the 
power  and  functions  of  the  priesthood.  Appeal  was  made  to  the 
whole  assembly :  "  What  shall  be  done  with  them  ?  '  "  Let  them 
be  burned  !  Let  them  be  burned !  "  And  burned  they  were,  to  the 
number  of  seven,  in  the  valley  of  Ecouan. 

In  the  market  place  of  Milan  were  raised,  here  a  cross,  there 
blazing  pyre.  The  Heretics  were  brought  forth,  commanded  to 
throw  themselves  before  the  cross,  confess  their  sins,  accept  the 
Catholic  faith,  or  to  plunge  into  the  flames,  a  few  knelt  before  the 
cross ;  the  greater  number  covered  their  faces,  rushed  into  the  fire 
.and  were  consumed.  In  Cologne  also,  heretics  were  thrown  into 
the  flames. 

But  in  the  twelfth  century,  Heresy  became  rampant,  bold, 
undisguised.  The  desperate  Church  was  compelled  to  resort  to 
the  irrefragable  argument  of  the  sword  and  the  stake.  Woe  to 
the  prince  or  to  the  magistrate,  who  refused  to  be  the  executioner 
of  the  stern  raw. 

In  many  places,  the  people  were  delighted  at  seeing  a  priest 
keep  a  mistress,  that  the  married  women  might  be  safe  from  his 
seductions.  What  humiliating  scenes  did  the  house  of  a  priest  in 
those  days  present !  The  wretched  man  supported  the  women  and 
the  children  she  had  borne  him,  with  the  tithes  and  offerings.  His 
conscience  was  troubled  :  he  blushed  in  the  presence  of  the  people, 
before  his  domestics,  and  before  God.  The  mother  fearing  to  come 
to  want  if  the  priest  should  die,  made  provision  against  it  before- 
hand, and  robbed  her  own  house.  Her  honor  was  lost.  Her 
children  were  ever  a  living  accusation  against  her.  Despised  by 
all,  they  plunged  into  quarrels  and  debauchery.  Such  was  the 
family  of  the  priest ! 

If  we  go  higher  in  the  hierarchical  order,  we  find  the  corruption 
not  less  great.  The  dignitaries  of  the  Church  preferred  the  tumult 
of  camps  to  the  hymns  of  the  altar.  To  be  able,  lance  in  hand, 
to  reduce  his  neighbors  to  obedience  was  one  of  the  chief  qualifica- 
tions of  a  bishop.  Everywhere,  the  bishops  were  continually  at 
war  with  their  towns.  The  citizens  demanded  liberty,  the  bishopa 


100  APPENDIX. 

required  implicit  obedience.  If  the  latter  gained  the  victory,  they 
punished  the  revolters  by  sacrificing  numerous  victims  to  their 
vengeance. 

And  what  a  spectacle  was  presented  by  the  pontifical  throne 
in  the  times  immediately  preceding  the  reformation  !  Rome,  it 
must  be  acknowledged,  had  seldom  witnessed  so  much  infamy. 
Rodrigo  Borgia,  after  having  lived  with  a  Roman  lady,  had  con- 
tinued the  same  illicit  connection  with  one  of  her  daughters,  named 
Rosa  Vanozza,  by  whom  he  had  five  children.  He  was  a  cardinal 
and  archbishop,  living  at  Rome  with  Vanozza  and  other  women, 
visiting  the  churches  and  the  hospitals,  when  the  death  of  Innocent 
VII.  created  a  vacancy  in  the  pontifical  chair.  He  succeeded  in 
obtaining  it  by  bribing  each  cardinal  at  a  stipulated  price. 

On  the  day  of  his  coronation,  his  son  Cassar,  a  youth  of  ferocious 
and  dissolute  manners,  was  created  archbishop  of  Valencia  and 
bishop  of  Pampeluna.  He  next  celebrated  in  the  Vatican,  themar- 
raige  of  his  daughter  Lucretia,  by  festivities,  at  which  his  mistress, 
Julia  Bella,  was  present ;  and  which  were  enlivened  by  licentious 
plays  and  songs.  "  All  the  clergy,"  says  an  historian,  "kept  mis- 
tresses, and  all  the  convents  of  the  capital  were  houses  of  ill-fame." 

Thus  had  the  clergy  brought  not  only  themselves,  but  their  faith 
into  disrepute.  Well  might  Luther  exclaim  :  The  ecclesiastical 
order  is  opposed  to  God  and  to  his  glory.  The  people  know  it 
well ;  and  this  is  but  too  plainly  shown  by  the  many  songs,  by 
proverbs  and  jokes  against  the  priests,  that  are  current  among  the 
commonalty,  and  all  those  caricatures  of  monks  and  priests  on 
every  wall,  and  even  on  the  playing  cards.  Every  one  feels  a 
loathing  on  seeing  or  hearing  a  priest  in  the  distance.  The  evil 
had  spread  through  all  ranks  :  the  corruption  of  manners  corres- 
ponded with  the  corruption  of  faith.  / 

"We  Italians"  says  Machiavelli,  "are  indebted  principally  to 
the  Church  and  the  priests  for  having  become  impious  and  im- 
moral." 

A  great  agitation  prevailed  at  that  time,  A.  D.  1517,  anong  the 
German  people.  The  Church  had  opened  a  vast  market  upon 
earth.  From  the  crowds  of  purchasers,  and  the  sLouts  and  jokes 
of  the  sellers,  it  might  have  been  called  a  fair,  but  a  fair  con- 
ducted by  monks.  The  merchandise  that  they  were  extolling,  and 
which  they  offered  at  a  reduced  price,  was,  said  they,  "  the  salva- 
tion of  souls."  Tetzel  a  monk,  who  played  the  chief  part  at  these 


LATER  CRIMES  OF  THE  CHURCH.  101 

palo=,  delivered  the  following  sermon:  "Indulgences"  said  he, 
"are  the  most  precious  and  the  most  noble  of  God's  gifts. 

"Come,  and  I  will  give  you  letters,  all  properly  sealed,  by  which 
even  the  sins  that  you  intend  to  commit  may  be  pardoned." 
"  There  is  no  sin  so  great,  that  an  indulgence  cannot  remit." 

"But  more  than  this,"  said  he,  "indulgences  avail  not  only  for 
the  living,  but  the  dead.  For  that  repentance  is  not  even  neces- 
sary." 

"  Priest !  noble !  merchant !  wife  !  youth  !  maiden  !  do  you  not 
hear  your  parents  and  your  other  friends  who  are  dead,  and  who 
cry  from  the  bottom  of  the  abyss :  We  are  suffering  horrible  tor- 
ments !  a  trifling  alms  would  deliver  us ;  you  can  give  it,  and  you 
will  not!" 

"At  the  very  instant,"  continued  Tetzel,  "that  the  money 
rattles  at  the  bottom  of  the  chest,  the  soul  escapes  from  purga- 
tory and  flies,  liberated,  to  heaven." 

For  particular  sins,  there  was  a  particular  tax.  For  polygamy,  it 
was  six  ducats;  for  sacrilege  and  perjury,  nine  ducats;  for  murder, 
eight  ducats ;  for  witchcraft,  two  ducats. 

In  a  letter  given  at  Rome,  under  the  seal  of  the  Fisherman,  in 
November,  1517,  Leo  requires  of  his  commissary  of  indulgences  147 
gold  ducats,  to  purchase  a  manuscript  of  the  thirty-third  book  of 
Livy.  Of  all  the  uses  to  which  he  applied  the  money  of  the  Ger- 
mans, this  was  undoubtedly  the  best.  Yet  it  was  a  strange  thing 
to  deliver  souls  from  purgatory  to  procure  the  means  of  purchasing 
a  manuscript  of  the  history  of  the  Roman  wars. 

A  married  schoolmaster,  desiring  to  enter  holy  orders,  obtained 
his  wile's  consent  with  this  view,  and  they  separated.  The  new 
priest,  finding  it  impossible  to  observe  his  vow  of  celibacy,  and 
unwilling  to  wound  his  wife's  feelings,  quitted  the  place  where  she 
lived,  and  went  into  the  see  of  Constance,  where  he  formed  a  crimi- 
nal connection.  His  wife  heard  of  this  and  followed  him.  The 
poor  priest  had  compassion  on  her,  and  dismissing  the  woman  who 
had  usurped  her  rights,  took  his  lawful  spouse  into  his  house. 
The  procurator-fiscal  immediately  drew  up  a  complaint;  the  vicar- 
general  was  in  a  ferment ;  the  councillors  of  the  consistory  delibe- 
rated   and  ordered  the  curate  either  to  forsake  his  wife  or 

his  benefice.  The  poor  wife  left  her  husband's  house  in  tears,  and 
her  rival  re-entered  it  in  triumph.  The  Church  declared  itself  sat- 
isfied, and  from  that  time  the  adulterous  priest  was  left  undis- 
turbed.— Milmaris  Latin  Christianity, 


102  APPENDIX. 


THE  CRUSADES. 

In  the  spring  of  1096,  a  large  body  of  the  lower  orders,  under 
the  lead  of  Peter  the  Hermit,  and  under  the  guidance  of  a  goose 
and  a  goat,  began  to  inarch  across  Germany.  They  were  compelled 
to  divide,  and  the  smaller  party,  led  by  a  Burgundian  knight, 
Walter  the  Penniless,  going  in  advance,  was  annihilated  in  Bulga- 
ria. The  larger  party  suffered  severely,  and  was  guilty  of  great 
atrocities;  but  Peter  brought  the  bulk  of  it  to  Constantinople, 
where  he  was  joined  by  Walter.  They  were  landed  in  Asia,  where 
they  were  nearly  all  destroyed  by  the  Turks,  Peter  having  left 
them. 

A  third  division,  consisting  of  Germans,  was  led  by  a  monk 
named  Godeschal,  and  was  massacred  in  Hungary.  A  fourth, 
estimated  at  two  hundred  thousand,  and  composed  of  various  peo- 
ples, was  led  by  some  nobles,  from  Germany,  but  it  was  destroyed 
by  the  Hungarians,  after  having  perpetrated  terrible  outrages. 

The  siege  of  Jerusalem  during  the  first  crusade  was  closed  with 
an  assault,  and  a  massacre  of  almost  unequalled  atrocity.  No  bar- 
barian, no  infidel,  no  Saracen,  ever  perpetrated  such  wanton  and 
cold-blooded  atrocities  of  cruelty,  as  the  wearers  of  the  Cross  of 
Christ — who,  it  is  said,  had  fallen  on  their  knees  and  burst  into  a 
pious  hymn  at  the  first  sight  of  the  Holy  City — on  the  capture  of 
that  city.  Murder  was  mercy,  rape  tenderness,  simple  plunder  the 
mere  assertion  of  the  conqueror's  right.  Children  were  seized  by 
the  legs,  some  of  them  plucked  from  their  mother's  breasts  and 
dashed  against  the  walls,  or  whirled  from  the  battlements.  Others 
were  obliged  to  leap  from  the  walls;  some  tortured,  roasted  by  slow 
fires.  They  ripped  up  prisoners,  to  see  if  they  had  swallowed  gold. 
Of  seventy  thousand  Saracens  there  was  not  left  enough  to  bury 
the  dead;  poor  Christians  were  hired  to  perform  the  office.  Every 
one  surprised  in  the  temple  was  slaughtered,  till  the  reek  from  the 
dead  bodies  drove  away  the  slayers.  The  Jews  were  burned  alive 
in  their  synagogue.  Even  the  day  after,  all  who  had  taken  rei'uge 
on  the  roofs  were  hewn  to  pieces. 

At  the  surrender  of  Acre,  during  the  third  Crusade,  the  crusa- 
ders, in  violation  of  their  word,  butchered  five  thousand  Mussel- 
men  who  had  been  left  in  their  hands  as  hostages. 

Bootless  carnage,  distinguished  the  crusades  from  almost  all 
other  wars ;  the  unseemly  spectacle  of  crimes,  cruelties,  unbridled 


THE  CRUSADES.  103 

licentiousness,  strife,  jealousies,  and  treacheries  too  often  prevailed 
in  the  Christian  camp. 

To  all  who  embarked  in  the  crusades,  the  Pope  promised,  on 
their  sincere  repentance,  the  remission  of  all  their  sins,  and  eternal 
life  in  the  great  day  of  retribution.  Those  who  were  unable  to 
proceed  in  person,  might  obtain  the  same  remission  in  proportion 
to  the  bounty  of  their  offerings. 

The  Crusaders  advanced  to  the  siege  of  Constantinople,  a  Chris- 
tian city,  in  the  name  of  Christ. 

Nicetas,  himself  an  eye-witness  and  sufferer  in  these  scenes,  con- 
trasts the  discipline  and  and  self-denial  of  the  Mohammedans,  who 
under  Saladin,  stormed  Jerusalem,  with  the  rapacity,  the  lust,  the 
cruelty  of  the  Christian  conquerors  of  Constantinople.  They 
spared  neither  religion,  nor  age,  nor  sex;  they  practiced  fornica- 
tions, incests,  adulteries,  in  the  sight  of  men  ;  abandoned  matrons 
and  virgins  dedicated  to  God,  to  the  lewdness  of  grooms.  Many 
rushed  at  once  to  the  churches  and  monasteries.  In  the  church  of 
Santa  Sophia,  the  silver  was  rent  cff  from  the  magnificent  pulpit: 
the  table  of  oblation,  admired  for  its  precious  material  and  exqui- 
site workmanship,  broken  to  pieces.  Mules  and  horses  were  led 
into  the  churches  to  carry  off  the  ponderous  vessels  ;  if  they  slipped 
down  on  the  smooth  floor,  they  were  forced  to  rise  up  by  lash 
and  spur,  so  that  their  blood  flowed  on  the  pavement. 

A  prostitute  mounted  the  Patriach's  throne,  and  .screamed  out  a 
disgusting  song,  accompanied  with  the  most  offensive  gestures. 

Instead  of  the  chants,  the  aisles  rung  with  wild  shouts  of  revelry 
or  indecent  oaths  and  imprecations. 

But,  according  to  tho  theory  of  the  Church,  the  erring  believer 
was  as  declared  an  enemy  to  God,  as  the  Pagan  or  the  Islamite :  in 
one  respect  more  inexcusable  and  odious,  as  obstinately  resisting  or 
repudiating  the  truth.  The  heretic  appeared  to  the  severely  ortho- 
dox Christian,  as  worse  than  the  unbeliever,  he  was  a  revolted  sub- 
ject ;  not  a  foreign  enemy.  Civil  wars  are  always  the  most  fero- 
cious. Excommunication  from  the  Christian  Church  implied  out- 
lawry from  Christian  society ;  the  heretic  forfeited  not  only  all 
dignities,  rights,  privileges,  immunities,  even  all  property,  all  pro- 
tection by  law;  he  was  to  be  pursued,  taken,  despoiled,  put  to 
death,  either  by  the  ordinary  course  of  justice — the  temporal 
authority  was  bound  to  execute,  even  to  blood,  the  sentence  of  the 
ecclesiastical  court, — or  if  he  dared  to  resist  by  any  means  what- 


104  APPENDIX. 

ever,  however  peaceful,  he  was  an  insurgent,  against  whom  the 
whole  of  Christendom  might,  or  rather  was  bound  at  the  summons 
of  the  spiritual  power  to  declare  war;  his  estates,  even  his  domin- 
ions, if  a  sovereign,  were  not  merely  liable  to  forfeiture,  but  the 
Church  assumed  the  power  of  awarding  the  forfeiture,  as  it  might 
seem  best  to  her  wisdom. 

The  army  which  should  execute  the  mandate  of  the  Church  was 
the  army  of  the  Church,  and  the  banner  of  that  army  was  the  Cross 
of  Christ.  So  began  Crusades,  not  on  the  contested  borders  of 
Christendom,  not  in  Mohammedan  or  heathen  lands,  in  Palestine, 
on  the  shores  of  the  Nile,  among  the  Livonian  forests  or  the  sands 
of  the  Baltic,  but  in  the  very  bosom  of  Christendom  ;  not  among 
the  implacable  partisans  of  an  antagonistic  creed,  but  among  those 
who  still  called  themselves  by  the  name  of  Christians. — Mtlmaris 
History  of  Latin  Christianity. 

THE  PERSECUTION  OF  THE  JEWS. 

When  the  horde  of  fanatics  unHer  the  command  of  Peter  the 
Hermit,  was  assembled  near  the  city  of  Treves,  a  murmur  rapidly 
spread  through  the  camp,  that  while  they  were  advancing  to 
recover  the  sepulchre  of  their  Redeemer  from  the  Infidels,  they 
were  leaving  behind  worse  unbelievers,  the  murderers  of  the  Lord. 
In  the  words  of  Jewish  tradition,  no  doubt  generally  faithful  in  its 
record  of  their  calamities,  "  the  abominable  Germans  and  French 
rose  up  against  them, — people  of  a  fierce  countenance,  that  had  no 
respect  to  the  persons  of  the  old,  neither  have  they  mtrcy  upon  the 
young ;  and  they  said,  '  Let  us  be  revenged  for  our  Messiah  upon 
the  Jews  that  are  among  us,  and  let  us  destroy  them  from,  being  a 
nation,  that  the  name  of  Israel  may  be  had  no  more  in  remem- 
brance ;  then  will  we  go  to  the  East.'  '  With  one  impulse  the 
Crusaders  rushed  to  the  city,  and  bagan  a  relentless  pillage,  viola- 
tion, and  massacre  of  every  Jew  they  could  find.  In  this  horrible 
day  men  were  seen  to  slay  their  own  children,  to  save  them  from 
the  worse  usage  of  these  savages.  Women,  having  deliberately  tied 
stones  round  themselves  that  they  might  sink,  plunged  from  the 
bridge,  to  save  their  honor  and  escape  baptism.  Their  husbands  had 
rather  send  them  to  the  bosom  of  Abraham  than  leave  them  to  the 
mercy,  or  rather  the  lustful  cruelties  of  the  Christians.  The  rest 
fled  to  the  bishop's  palace  as  a  place  of  refuge.  They  were  received 
by  the  bishop,  Engelbert,  with  these  words : — "  Wretches,  your 


THE  PERSECUTION   OF  THE   JEWS.  105 

sins  have  come  upon  you ;  ye  who  have  blasphemed  the  Sen  of  God 
and  calumniated  his  Mother.  This  is  the  cause  of  your  present 
miseries  , — this,  if  ye  persist  in  your  obduracy,  will  destroy  your 
body  and  soul  forever."  The  same  bloody  scenes  were  repeated  in 
Metz,  in  Spiers,  in  Worms,  in  Mayence,  in  Cologne.  The  locust 
band  passed  on  ;  everywhere  the  tracks  of  the  Crusaders  were 
deeply  marked  with  Jewish  blood.  A  troop  under  Count  Emico, 
offered  the  same  horrid  sacrifices  to  the  God  of  Mercy,  in  the  cities 
on  the  Maine  and  the  Danube,  even  as  far  as  Hungary. 

There  was  at  Seville  a  fierce  popular  preacher,  Ferdinand 
Martinez,  Archdeacon  of  Ecija.  During  the  reign  of  John  I.,  his 
inflammatory  harangues  against  the  obstinacy  and  the  usury  and 
the  wealth  of  the  Jews,  had  excited  the  populace.  The  Jewries 
were  attacked  ;  and  a  general  pillage,  violation,  and  massacre 
took  place  of  men  and  women,  old  and  young.  Fire  and  sword 
raged  unresisted  through  these  quarters  of  the  city.  The  streets 
of  noble  Seville  ran  with  blood,  and  the  wild  voice  of  the  Arch- 
deacon in  the  pulpit  rose  over  all,  and  kept  up  the  madness.  Four 
thousand  Jews  perished  in  the  massacre. 

The  terrible  example  of  their  impunity  the  fame  of  the  blood 
which  they  had  shed  without  rebuke,  the  wealth  which  they  had 
acquired  without  restitution,  spread  throughout  the  kingdom. 
Hardly  more  than  a  year  had  passed,  when  in  one  day — August 
8 — the  populace  rose  in  Cordova,  in  Valencia,  in  Toledo,  in  Burgos. 
Each  of  these  cities,  says  a  Spanish  author,  was  another  Troy; 
All  the  horrors  of  a  town  taken  by  storm  were  suffered  by  the 
Jewries  :  plunder,  rape,  massacre,  conflagration. 

In  1492  appeared  the  fatal  edict  commanding  all  unbaptized 
Jews  to  quit  the  realm  of  Spain  in  four  months. 

For  three  centuries  their  fathers  had  dwelt  in  this  delightful 
country,  which  they  had  fertilized  with  their  industry,  enriched 
with  their  commerce,  adorned  with  their  learning.  Yet  there 
were  few  examples  of  weakness  or  apostasy  ;  the  whole  race, — 
variously  calculated  at  166,000,  300,000,  650,000,  or  800,000,— in  a 
lofty  spirit  of  self-devotion — we  envy  not  that  mind  which  cannot 
appreciate  its  real  greatness, — determined  to  abandon  all  r.ither 
than  desert  the  religion  of  their  fathers.  They  left  the  homes  of 
their  youth,  the  scenes  of  their  early  associations,  the  sacred  graves 
of  their  ancestors,  the  more  recent  tombs  of  their  own  friends  and 
relatives.  They  left  the  synagogues  in  which  they  had  so  long 


106  APPENDIX. 

worshipped  their  God ;  the  schools  where  those  wise  men  had  taught 
who  had  thrown  a  lustre  which  shone,  even  through  the  darkness 
of  the  age,  upon  the  Hebrew  name.  They  were  allowed  four 
months  to  prepare  for  this  everlasting  exile.  The  unbaptized  Jew 
found  in  the  kingdom  after  that  period  was  condemned  to  death. 
The  persecutor  could  not  even  trust  the  hostile  feeling  of  his 
bigoted  subjects  to  execute  his  purpose,  a  statute  was  thought 
necessary,  prohibiting  any  Christian  from  harboring  a  Jew  after 
that  period.  Many  were  sold  for  slaves ;  Christendom  swarmed 
with  them.  The  wealthier  were  permitted  to  carry  away  their 
movables,  excepting  gold  and  silver,  for  which  they  were  to  accept 
letters  of  change  or  any  merchandise  not  prohibited.  Their 
property  they  might  sell ;  but  the  market  was  soon  glutted,  and 
the  cold-hearted  purchasers  waited  till  the  last  instant,  to  wring 
from  their  distress  the  hardest  terms.  A  contemporary  author 
states  that  he  saw  Jews  give  a  house  for  an  ass,  and  a  vineyard 
for  a  small  quantity  of  cloth  or  linen.  Yet  many  of  them  con- 
cealed their  gold  and  jewels  in  their  clothes  and  saddles  ;  some 
swallowed  them,  in  hopes  thus  at  least  to  elude  the  scrutiny  of  the 
officers.  The  Jews  consider  this  calamity  almost  as  dreadful  as 
the  taking  and  ruin  of  Jerusalem.  For  whither  to  fly  ?  And 
where  to  find  a  more  hospitable  shore?  Incidents,  which  make 
the  blood  run  cold,  are  related  of  the  miseries  which  they  suffered. 
Some  of  those  from  Aragon  found  their  way  into  Navarre ;  others 
to  the  sea-shore,  where  they  set  sail  for  Italy,  or  the  coast  of 
Morocco ;  others  crossed  the  frontier  into  Portugal.  "  Many  of 
the  former  were  cast  away,  or  sunk,"  says  a  Jewish  writer,  "  like 
lead,  into  the  ocean."  On  board  the  ship  which  was  conveying  a 
great  number  to  Africa,  the  plague  broke  out.  The  captain 
ascribed  the  infection  to  his  circumcised  passengers,  and  set  them 
all  on  shore,  on  a  desert  coast,  without  provisions.  They  dispersed: 
one,  a  father,  saw  his  beautiful  wife  perish  before  his  eyes — fainted 
himself  with  exhaustion — and,  waking,  beheld  his  two  children 
dead  by  his  side. 

In  Portugal  the  king  named  a  day  for  all  Jews  to  quit  the  king- 
dom, and  appointed  certain  ports  for  their  embarkation.  Before 
that  time  he  issued  another  secret  order  to  seize  all  children  under 
fourteen  years  of  age,  to  tear  them  from  the  arms,  the  bosoms  of 
their  parents,  and  dispersed  them  through  the  kingdom,  to  be 
baptized  and  brought  up  as  Christians.  The  secret  transpired,  and 


ALBIGENSIAN  WAR.  107 

lost  they  should  conceal  their  children,  it  was  instantly  put  in 
execution.  Great  God  of  Mercy,  this  was  in  the  name  of  Chris- 
tianity! Frantic  mothers  threw  their  children  into  the  wells  and 
rivers, — they  destroyed  them  with  their  own  hands.  One  mother 
threw  herself  at  the  feet  of  the  king  as  he  was  riding  to  church. 
She  had  already  lost  six  children  ;  she  implored  that  her  youngest 
might  be  spared  to  her.  The  courtiers  repelled  her  with  scorn  and 
ill-usage.  The  king  told  them  to  let  her  go,  "  the  poor  bitch 
deprived  of  her  whelps !  " — Milmans  History  of  Christianity. 

ALBIGENSIAN  WAR. 

Never  in  the  history  of  man  were  the  great  eternal  principles 
of  justice,  the  faith  of  treaties,  common  humanity,  so  trampled 
under  foot  as  in  the  Albigensian  war.  Never  was  war  waged  in 
which  ambition,  the  consciousness  of  strength,  rapacity,  implaca- 
ble hatred,  and  pitiless  cruelty,  played  a  greater  part.  And 
throughout  the  war  it  cannot  be  disguised  that  it  was  not  merely 
the  army  of  the  Church,  but  the  Church  itself  in  arms.  Papal 
legates  and  the  greatest  prelates  headed  the  host,  and  mingled  in 
all  the  horrors  of  the  battle  and  the  siege.  In  no  instance  did 
they  interfere  to  arrest  the  massacre,  in  some  cases  they  urged  it 
on.  "  Slay  all,  God  will  know  his  own,"  was  the  boasted  saying  of 
Abbot  Arnold,  Legate  of  the  Pope,  before  Beziers.  Arnold  was 
the  Captain-General  of  the  army. *  Hardly  one  of  the  great  pre- 
lates of  France  stood  aloof. 

In  A.  D.,  1207,  the  army  appeared  before  Beziers,  which,  in  the 
strength  of  its  walls  and  the  courage  of  its  inhabitants,  ventured 
on  bqld  defiance.  The  Bishop  Reginald  of  Montpellier  demanded 
the  surrender  of  all  whom  he  might  designate  as  heretics.  On 
their  refusal  of  these  terms,  the  city  was  stormed.  A  general  mas- 
sacre followed ;  neither  age  nor  sex  were  spared  ;  even  priests  fell 
in  the  remorseless  carnage.  In  the  Church  of  St.  Mary  Magda- 
lene were  killed  seven  thousand  by  the  defenders  of  the  sanctity 
of  the  Church.  The  account  of  the  slain  is  variously  estimated 
from  twenty  thousand  even  up  to  fifty  thousand.  The  city  was 
set  on  fire,  even  the  Cathedral  perished  in  the  flames.  The  law  of 
conquest  was  put  in  force.  The  lands  of  a  heretic  were  as  the 
lands  of  a  Saracen. 

The  barbarity  at  Lavour  passed  all  precedent,  even  in  this  fear- 
ful war.  A  general  massacre  was  permitted ;  men,  women,  chil- 


108  APPENDIX. 

dren  were  cut  to  pieces,  till  there  remained  nothing  to  kill  except 
some  of  the  garrison,  and  others  reserved  for  a  more  cruel  fate. 
Four  hundred  were  burned  in  one  great  pile,  which  made  a  won- 
derful blaze,  and  caused  universal  rejoicing  in  the  camp.  Aymeric 
of  Montreal,  the  commander,  was  brought,  with  eighty  nobles — 
Lavour  seems  to  have  been  thought  a  safe  place  of  refuge — before 
De  Montfort.  He  ordered  them  all  to  be  hanged  ;  the  overloaded 
gibbets  broke  down;  they  were  hewn  in  pieces.  Giralda,  the  Lady 
of  Lavour,  was  thrown  into  a  well,  and  huge  stones  rolled  down 
upon  her.  The  Bishops  preached  in  vain  to  five  hundred  heretics, 
but  converted  not  one;  sixty,  however,  they  burned  with  great  joy. 

In  1487,  Innocent  VIII.,  the  father  of  the  Romans,  issued  a  bull 
against  the  Waldenses.  "To  arms"  said  the  pontiff,  "and  tram- 
ple these  heretics  under  foot  as  venomous  serpents." 

At  the  approach  of  the  Legate,  followed  by  an  army  of  eighteen 
thousand  men,  and  a  number  of  volunteers  who  wished  to  share 
the  spoils  of  the  Waldenses,  the  latter  abandoned  their  houses  and 
took  refuge  in  the  mountains,  caverns,  and  clefts  of  the  rocks,  as 
the  birds  flee  for  shelter  when  the  storm  begins  to  lower.  Not  a 
valley,  nor  a  wood,  nor  a  rock  escaped  their  persecutors;  every- 
where in  this  part  of  the  Alps,  and  particularly  on  the  Italian  side, 
these  poor  disciples  of  Christ  were  hunted  down  like  beasts  of  prey. 
At  last  the  Pope's  satellites  were  worn  out ;  their  strength  was  ex- 
hausted, their  feet  could  no  longer  scale  the  steep  retreats  of  the 
"  heretics,"  and  their  arms  refused  to  strike. 

The  Reformation  had  made  considerable  progress  among  the  peo- 
ple of  the  Netherlands  during  the  reign  of  Charles  V.,  and  Philip, 
soon  after  his  accession,  undertook  to  root  out  entirely  the  new  doc- 
trines, and  to  restore  the  exclusive  supremacy  of  the  Roman  Catho- 
lic Church. 

An  insurrection  of  the  Protestants,  breaking  out  in  Flanders, 
August  14,  1566,  Philip  determined  to  resort  to  the  most  severe 
measures  to  suppress  Protestantism,  and  accordingly  the  cruel 
duke  of  Alva,  a  soldier  of  great  reputation,  was  sent  to  the  Nether- 
lands in  1567,  with  a  powerful  army  of  Spanish  veterans ;  and  for 
six  years  the  country  suffered  under  a  tyranny  which,  for  extent 
and  ferocity,  has  few  parallels  in  history. 

After  the  execution  of  Huss — A.  D.  1415 — the  Hussite  war  broke 
out  in  all  its  fury.  Of  all  wars,  none  was  so  horribly  remorseless, 
ostentatiously  cruel  as  this — a  war  of  races,  of  languages,  and  of 


PERSECUTION  OF  THE  HERETICS.  109 

religion.  It  was  a  strife  of  revenge,  of  reprisal,  of  extermination, 
considered  to  be  the  holiest  of  duties.  On  one  side  no  faith  was  to 
be  kept,  no  mercy  shown  to  heretics:  to  cut  off  the  spreading  plague 
by  any  means  was  paramount  to  all  principles  of  law  or  gospel.  On 
the  other,  vengeance  was  to  be  wreaked  on  the  enemies  of  God's 
people,  and  therefore  the  enemies  of  God  ;  to  root  out  idolatry  was 
the  mission  of  the  Bohemians;  mortal  sin  was  to  be  cut  off  with  the 
righteous  sword ;  and  the  whole  priesthood,  all  monks,  friars,  nuns, 
were  so  utterly  depraved,  according  to  their  sweeping  condemna- 
tion, that  it  was  only  to  fulfill  the  Divine  commandment  to  extir- 
pate the  irreclaimable  Order.  These  terrible  theories  were  relent- 
lessly carried  into  more  terrible  practice.  Kuttenburg,  the  second 
city  in  the  realm,  the  rival  of  Prague,  Catholic  and  German  as 
Prague  was,  Hussite  and  Bohemian,  burned,  beheaded,  hanged  all 
who  would  not  retract  their  opinions.  They  bought  the  prisoners 
taken  in  war  for  a  few  groschens  a  head — five  times  as  much  for  a 
preacher  as  for  a  common  man — and  executed  them  without  trial, 
without  mercy.  They  are  charged  with  havirtg  put  to  death  six- 
teen hundred  men.  The  Hussites,  wherever  they  could,  perpe- 
trated horrible  reprisals ;  for  so  many  of  their  brethren  as  were 
burned,  they  hanged  as  many  monks  or  friars. — Mdmiris  History 
of  Latin  Christianity. 

THE  PEKSECUTION  OF  THE  HERETICS. 

After  the  Albigensian  Crusade,  when  the  open  war  was  at  an 
end,  the  Church  still  pursued  her  exterminating  warfare  against 
her  still  rebellious  subjects.  The  inquisition  continued  its  silent, 
but  not  less  inhuman,  hardly  less  destructive  crusade. 

That  tribunal,  with  all  its  peculiar  statutes,  its  jurisdiction,  its 
tremendous  agency,  was  founded  during  this  period.  Its  statutes 
framed  after  the  successful  termination  of  the  war,  in  order  abso- 
lutely to  extirpate  every  lingering  vestige  of  heresy,  form  the  code 
of  persecution,  which  not  merely  aimed  at  suppressing  all  public 
teaching,  but  the  more  secret  freedom  of  thought.  It  was  a  sys- 
tem which  penetrated  into  the  innermost  sanctuary  of  domestic 
life ;  and  made  delation  not  only  a  merit  and  a  duty,  but  an  obli- 
gation also,  enforced  by  tremendous  penalties. 

The  court  sat  in  profound  secresy ;  no  advocate  might  appear 
before  the  tribunal,  no  witness  was  confronted  with  the  accused: 
who  were  the  informers,  what  the  charges,  except  the  vague  charge 


110  APPENDIX. 

of  heresy,  no  one  knew.  The  suspected  heretic  was  first  summoned 
to  declare,  on  oath,  that  he  would  speak  the  truth,  the  whole  truth, 
of  all  persons  whatsoever,  living  or  dead,  like  himself,  under  the 
suspicion  of  heresy.  If  he  refused,  he  was  cast  into  a  dungeon — a 
dungeon  the  darkest  in  those  dreary  ages — the  most  dismal,  the 
most  profound,  the  most  noisome.  No  falsehood  was  too  false,  no 
craft  too  crafty,  no  trick  too  base  for  this  calm,  systematic  moral 
torture,  which  was  to  wring  further  confession  against  himself, 
denunciation  against  others.  It  was  the  deliberate  object  to  break 
the  spirit.  The  prisoner  was  told  that  there  were  witnesses,  unde- 
niable witnesses  against  him ;  if  convicted  by  such  witnesses,  his 
death  was  inevitable.  In  the  meantime  his  food  was  to  be  slowly 
diminished  till  body  and  soul  were  prostrate.  He  was  then  to  be 
left  in  darkness,  solitude  and  silence.  Then  were  to  come  one  or 
two  of  the  faithful,  dexterous  men,  who  were  to  speak  in  gentle 
words  of  interest  and  sympathy:  "Fear  not  to  confess  that  you 
have  had  dealings  with  those  men,  the  teachers  of  heresy,  because 
they  seemed  to  you  men  of  holiness  and  virtue;  wiser  than  you  have 
been  deceived."  These  dexterous  men  were  to  speak  of  the  Bible, 
of  the  Gospels,  of  the  Epistles  of  St.  Paul,  to  talk  the  very  lan- 
guage, the  scriptural  language  of  the  heretic.  "These  foxes,"  it 
was  said,  "  can  only  be  unearthed  by  fox-like  cunning."  But  if  all 
this  art  failed,  then  came  terror,  and  the  goading  to  despair.  "  Dio 
you  must — bethink  you  of  your  soul."  Upon  which,  if  the  despe- 
rate man  said,  "  If  I  must  die,  I  will  die  in  the  true  faith  of  the 
Gospel, ' — he  had  made  his  confession  :  justice  claimed  her  victim. 

The  Inquisition  had  three  penalties  :  for  those  who  recanted, 
penance  in  the  severest  forms  which  the  Church  might  enact ;  for 
those  not  absolutely  convicted,  perpetual  imprisonment :  for  the 
obstinate  or  relapsed,  death, — death  at  the  stake.  Such  was  the 
procedure,  of  which  the  instructions  may  now  be  read  in  their  very 
words.  Two  inquisitors  were  appointed  in  every  city,  but  the 
Bishops  needed  no  excitement  to  their  eager  zeal,  no  remonstrance 
against  mistimed  mercy  to  the  heretics.  At  the  Council  of  Nar- 
bonne,  was  issued  a  decree,  that  there  were  not  prisons  vast  enough 
to  contain  those  who  deserved  imprisonment  for  life. 

A  division  of  the  Franciscans,  calling  themselves  spirituals,  were 
loud  in  their  denunciations  of  the  corruptions  of  the  Church. 
John  XXII.  was  too  sagacious  not  to  foresee  the  peril ;  too  arro- 
gantly convinced,  and  too  jealous,  of  his  supreme  spiritual  author- 


PERSECUTION  OF  THE  HERETICS.  HI 

ity  not  to  resent ;  too  merciless  not  to  extirpate  by  the  most  cruel 
means  these  slowly-working  enemies.  Soon  after  his  accession, 
Bull  followed  Bull  equally  damnatory.  The  Inquisition  was  com- 
mitted to  Michael  di  Cesena,  still  the  faithful  subject  of  the  Pope, 
and  to  seven  others.  Twenty-five  monks  were  convicted,  and 
sentenced  first  to  degradation,  then  to  perpetual  imprisonment. 
They  were  brought  to  the  stake  and  burned  at  Marseilles.  They 
were  condemned  for  the  heresy  of  denying  the  Papal  authority. 

The  prisons  of  Narbonne  and  of  Carcassonne  were  crowded  with 
those  who  were  spared  the  last  penalty.  Among  these  was  the 
friar  Deliciosus  of  Montpellier,  a  Franciscan,  who  had  boldly  with- 
stood the  Inquisition,  and  was  immured  for  life  in  a  dungeon.  He 
it  was  who  declared  that  if  St.  Peter  and  St.  Paul  should  return  to 
earth,  the  Inquisition  would  lay  hands  on  them,  as  damnable 
heretics.  At  Toulouse  the  public  sermons  of  the  Inquisition  took 
place  at  intervals,  and  these  sermons  were  rarely  unaccompanied 
by  proofs  of  their  inefficacy.  Men  who  would  not  be  argued  into 
belief  must  be  burned.  The  corollary  of  a  Christian  sermon  was  a 
holocaust  at  the  stake. 

In  England  a  Statute  was  necessary  to  legalize  the  burning  of 
heretics.  The  judgment  was  passed  in  the  Ecclesiastical  court  or 
that  of  the  Inquisition.  The  Statute  bears  the  ill-omened  appella- 
tion, "  for  the  burning  of  heretics."  The  preamble  was  directed 
in  the  most  comprehensive  terms  against  the  new  preachers.  These 
preachings,  schools,  books,  were  strictly  inhibited.  The  Bishop  of 
the  diocese  was  empowered  to  arrest  all  persons  accused  or 
suspected  of  these  acts,  to  imprison  them,  to  bring  them  to  trial  in 
his  court.  "  If  he  shall  refuse  to  abjure  such  doctrines,  or  having 
abjured,  relapse,  sentence  is  to  be  recorded :  a  writ  issued  to  the 
sheriff  of  the  county,  the  mayor  or  bailiff  of  the  nearest  borough, 
•who  is  to  take  order  that  on  a  high  place  in  public,  before  the  face 
of  the  people  he  be  burned." 

Nor  was  this  Statute  an  idle  menace  ;  the  Primate  and  the 
Bishops  hastened  to  make  examples  under  its  terrible  provisions. 

And,  when  later  than  this,  Luther  struck  at  the  root  of  Roman 
Catholicism,  though  the  power  of  the  church  was  on  the  wane, 
persecution  was  again  resorted  to. — Milman'a  History  of  Latin 
Christianity. 

Fanaticism  grew  fiercer  every  day  ;  evangelical  ministers  were 
expelled  from  their  churches ;  magistrates  were  banished ;  and  at 


112  APPENDIX. 

times  the  most  horrible  punishments  were  inflicted.  In  Wurtera- 
burg,  an  inquisitor  named  Reichler  caused  the  Lutherans,  and 
above  all  the  preachers,  to  be  hanged  upon  trees.  Barbarous 
ruffians  were  found,  who  unfeelingly  nailed  the  pastors  by  their 
tongues  to  a  post ;  so  that  these  unhappy  victims,  tearing  them- 
selves violently  from  the  wood  to  which  they  were  fastened,  were 
horribly  mutilated  in  attempting  to  recover  their  liberty,  and  thus 
deprived  of  that  gift  which  they  had  long  used  to  proclaim  the 
Gospel. 

At  Landsburg  nine  persons  were  consigned  to  the  flames,  and  at 
Munich  twenty-nine  were  thrown  into  the  water. 

Leclerc,  one  of  the  French  reformers,  was  sentenced  to-  be  burnt 
alive,  and  taken  out  to  the  place  of  execution.  Here  a  fearful 
scene  awaited  him.  The  cruelty  of  his  persecutors  had  been  con- 
triving all  that  could  render  his  punishment  more  horrible.  Near 
the  scaffold  men  were  heating  pincers  that  were  to  serve  as  the 
instruments  of  their  rage.  Leclerc,  firm  and  calm,  heard  unmoved 
the  wild  yells  of  the  monks  and  people.  They  began  by  cutting 
off  his  right  hand  ;  then  taking  up  the  burning  pincers,  they  tore  off 
his  nose  ;  after  this,  they  lacerated  his  arms,  and  when  they  had 
thus  mangled  them  in  several  places,  they  concluded  by  burning  his 
breasts.  After  these  tortures  Leclerc  was  burnt  by  a  slow  fire,  in 
conformity  with  his  sentence. 

It  has  been  estimated  that  the  number  of  persons  burned  alive 
under  Torquemada,  the  first  grand  inquisitor,  amounted  to  8,800, 
those  under  Deza,  to  1,664,  and  those  under  Cardinal  Ximenez 
to  2,536. 

THE  MASSACRE  OF  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW. 

The  massacre  of  St.  Bartholomew,  was  planned  by  the  infamous 
Catharine  de  Medici,  to  take  place  at  the  celebration  of  the  mar- 
riage of  Henry  of  Navarre  and  Marguerite  de  Valois,  with  the 
object  of  exterminating  the  nobles  and  gentry  of  the  Huguenot 
party,  while  plunged  in  the  festivities  of  that  joyous  occasion.  The 
city  gates  were  shut  and  guarded,  and  all  the  Catholic  inhabitants 
were  ordered  to  illuminate  their  houses,  both  as  a  distinguishing 
mark,  and  as  a  means  of  giving  sufficient  light,  by  which  to  carry 
on  the  work  of  destruction.  Orders  were  also  dispatched  to  the 
royal  governors  of  the  principal  cities  of  all  the  provinces  to  com- 
mence the  same  massacre  at  the  same  hour,  and,  although,  in  some 


THE  SPANIARDS  IN  MEXICO.  113 

instances,  the  humanity  of  the  officers  led  them  to  disohey  their 
orders,  the  instructions  were  too  generally  followed.  Coligni  was 
run  through  the  body,  in  spite  of  the  resistance  of  some  of  his 
household,  and  thrown  out  of  the  window  at  the  feet  of  the  duke 
of  Guise,  who  sat  on  horseback,  coolly  awaiting  the  performance 
of  the  dreadful  deed,  and  when  the  bloody  corpse  was  flung  before 
his  charger's  hoofs  on  the  pavement,  dismounted  and  wiped  the 
clotted  gore  from  the  victim's  features,  with  his  handkerchief,  in 
order  to  assure  himself  that  there  had  been  no  mistake  ;  when  the 
fatal  tocsin  rang  from  the  church  of  St.  Germain,  the  horrid  slaugh- 
ter began  on  the  instant,  and  was  deliberately  prosecuted  during 
several  days,  both  in  the  capital  and  the  large  provincial  towns. 
Neither  sex  nor  age  was  spared  ! 

THE  SPANIARDS  IN  MEXICO. 

The  Spaniards  entered  Mexico  with  the  sole  'intention  of  con- 
quest. Setting  aside  the  question  of  right,  in  this  intention,  we 
will  speak  only  of  their  manner  of  conducting  this  conquest. 

While  occupying  the  city  of  Cholula,  Cortes,  fearing  some 
treachery  on  the  part  of  the  Indians,  determined  to  make  an 
example  of  them  that  would  strike  the  whole  nation  with  terror. 
Large  numbers  of  the  Indians  being  gathered 'in  a  square  of  the 
city,  the  fatal  signal,  the  discharge  of  an  arquebuse,  was  given. 
In  an  instant  every  musket  and  cross-bow  was  levelled  at  the 
unfortunate  Cholulans  in  the  court-yard,  and  a  frightful  volley 
poured  into  them  as  they  stood  crowded  together,  like  a  herd  of 
deer  in  the  centre.  They  were  taken  by  surprise,  and  made 
scarcely  any  resistance  to  the  Spaniards,  who  followed  up  the  dis- 
charge of  their  pieces  by  rushing  on  them  with  their  swords ;  and, 
as  the  half-naked  bodies  of  the  natives  afforded  no  protection,  they 
hewed  them  down  with  as  much  ease  as  the  reaper  mows  down  the 
ripe  corn  in  harvest  time.  Some  endeavored  to  scale  the  walls, 
but  only  afforded  a  surer  mark  to  the  arquebusiers  and  archers. 
Others  threw  themselves  into  the  gateways,  but  were  received  on 
the  long  pikes  of  the  soldiers  who  guarded  them.  Some  few  had 
better  luck  in  hiding  themselves  under  the  heaps  of  slain  with 
which  the  ground  was  soon  loaded. 

While  this  work  of  death  was  going  on,  the  countrymen  of  the 
slaughtered  Indians,  drawn  together  by  the  noise  of  the  massacre, 
had  commenced  a  furious  assault  on  the  Spaniards  from  without. 


114  APPENDIX. 

But  Cortes  had  placed  his  battery  of  heavy  guns  in  a  position  that 
commanded  the  avenues,  and  swept  off  the  files  of  the  assailants 
as  they  rushed  on.  In  the  intervals  between  the  discharges,  which, 
in  the  imperfect  state  of  the  science  in  that  day,  were  much  longer 
than  in  ours,  he  forced  back  the  press  by  charging  with  the  horse 
into  the  midst.  The  steeds,  the  guns,  the  weapons  of  the  Spaniards 
•were  all  new  to  the  Cholulans.  Notwithstanding  the  novelty  of 
the  terrific  spectacle,  the  flash  of  fire-arms  mingling  with  the  deaf- 
ening roar  of  the  artillery,  as  its  thunders  reverberated  among  the 
buildings,  the  despairing  Indians  pushed  on  to  take  the  places  of 
their  fallen  comrades.  At  last,  forced  to  give  way,  they  flung 
themselves  into  the  wooden  turrets  that  crowned  the  temple,  and 
poured  down  stones,  javelins  and  burning  arrows  on  the  Spaniards, 
as  they  climbed  the  great  staircase,  which,  by  a  flight  of  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty  steps,  scaled  the  face  of  the  pyramid.  But  the 
fiery  shower  fell  harmless  on  the  steel  bonnets  of  the  Christ.ians, 
Awhile  they  availed  themselves  of  the  burning  shafts  to  set  fire  to 
the  wooden  citadel,  which  was  speedily  wrapt  in  flames. 

All  was  now  confusion  and  uproar  fn  the  fair  city,  which  had  so 
lately  reposed  in  security  and  peace.  The  groans  of  the  dying, 
the  frantic  supplications  of  the  vanquished  for  mercy,  were  mingled 
•with  the  loud  battle-cries  of  the  Spaniards  as  they  rode  down  their 
enemy.  The  tumult  was  still  further  swelled  by  the  incessant 
rattle  of  musketry,  and  the  crash  of  falling  timbers,  which  sent 
up  a  volume  of  flame  that  outshone  the  ruddy  light  of  morning, 
making  altogether  a  hideous  confusion  of  sights  and  sounds,  that 
converted  the  Holy  City  into  a  Pandemonium.  As  resistance 
slackened,  the  victors  broke  into  the  houses  and  sacred  places, 
plundering  them  of  whatever  valuables  they  contained,  plate, 
jewels,  which  were  found  in  some  quantity,  wearing  apparel,  and 
provisions.  Cortes,  in  his  letter  to  Charles  the  Fifth,  admits  three 
thousand  slain,  most  accounts  say  six,  and  some  swell  the  amount 
yet  higher. 

It  was  common  for  the  Aztecs  to  celebrate  an  annual  festival  in 
May,  in  honor  of  their  patron  war-god.  The  Spaniards  gave  their 
consent  to  this  feast,  on  condition  that  they  should  come  without 
weapons.  They  assembled  accordingly  on  the  day  appointed,  to 
the  number  of  six  hundred,  at  the  smallest  computation. 

Alvarado  and  his  soldiers  attended  as  spectators,  some  of  them 
taking  their  station  at  the  gates,  as  if  by  chance,  and  others  ming- 


THE  SPANIARDS  IN  PERU.  Ho 

ling  in  the  crowd.  They  were  all  armed,  a  circumstance,  which, 
as  it  was  usual,  excited  no  attention.  The  Aztecs  were  soon 
engrossed  by  the  exciting  movement  of  the  dance,  accompanied  by 
their  religious  chant,  and  wild,  discordant  minstrelsy.  While  thus 
occupied,  Alvarado  and  his  men,  at  a  concerted  signal,  rushed 
with  drawn  swords  on  their  victims.  Unprotected  by  armor  or 
weapons  of  any  kind,  they  were  hewn  down  without  resistance  by 
their  assailants,  who,  in  their  bloody  work,  says  a  contemporary, 
showed  no  touch  of  pity  or  compunction.  Some  fled  to  the  gates, 
but  were  caught  on  the  long  pikes  of  the  soldiers.  Others,  who 
attempted  to  scale  the  Coatepantli,  or  Wall  of  Serpents,  as  it  was 
called,  which  surrounded  the  area,  shared  the  like  fate,  or  were  cut 
to  pieces,  or  shot  by  the  ruthless  soldiery.  The  pavement,  says  a 
writer  of  the  age,  ran  with  streams  of  blood,  like  water  in  a  heavy 
shower.  Not  an  Aztec,  of  all  that  gay  company,  was  left  alive  ! 
It  was  repeating  the  dreadful  scene  of  Cholula,  with  the  disgraceful 
addition,  that  the  Spaniards,  not  content  with  slaughtering  their 
victims,  rifled  them  of  the  precious  ornaments  on  their  persons !  On 
this  sad  day  fell  the  flower  of  the  Aztec  nobility.  Not  a  family  of 
note,  but  had  mourning  and  desolation  brought  within  its  walls. 
And  now,  with  all  allowance  for  the  ferocity  of  the  age  and  the 
laxity  of  its  principles,  it  must  be  admitted  that  these  are  passages 
which  every  Spaniard,  who  cherishes  the  fame  of  his  countrymen, 
would  be  glad  to  see  expunged  from  history ;  passages  not  to  be 
vindicated  on  the  score  of  self-defence,  or  of  necessity  of  any  kind, 
and  which  must  forever  leave  a  dark  spot  on  the  annals  of  the 
Conquest.  And  yet,  taken  as  a  whole,  the  invasion  was  conducted 
on  principles  less  revolting  to  humanity,  than  most,  perhaps  than 
any,  of  the  other  conquests  of  the  Castilian  crown  in  the  New 
World.— Prescott. 

THE  SPANIARDS  IN  PERU. 

Soon  after  the  Spaniards  entered  Peru,  the  Inca  consented  to 
visit  them,  and  to  come  unarmed.  He  entered  Caxamalca  at  the 
head  of  a  large  number  of  his  people,  and  was  received  in  one  of 
the  squares  of  the  city  by  Pizarro's  chaplain,  who,  after  explaining 
the  Christian  belief,  and  dwelling  particularly  on  the  Pope's 
authority  over  all  nations,  concluded  with  beseeching  the  Peruvian 
monarch  to  abjure  the  errors  of  his  own  faith,  and  embrace  that 
of  the  Christians  now  proffered  to  him,  the  only  one  by  which  he 


116  APPENDIX. 

could  hope  for  salvation ;  and,  furthermore,  to  acknowledge  him- 
self a  tributary  of  the  Emperor  Charles  the  Fifth,  who,  in  that 
event,  would  aid  and  protect  him  as  his  loyal  vassal. 

The  eyes  of  the  Indian  monarch  flashed  fire,  and  his  dark  brow 
grew  darker  as  he  replied, — "I  will  be  no  man's  tributary.  I  am 
greater  than  any  prince  upon  earth.  Your  emperor  may  be  a 
great  prince  ;  I  do  not  doubt  it  when  I  see  that  he  has  sent  his 
subjects  so  far  across  the  waters ;  and  I  am  willing  to  hold  him  as 
a  brother.  As  for  the  Pope,  of  whom  you  speak,  he  must  be 
crazy  to  talk  of  giving  away  countries  which  do  not  belong  to  him. 
For  my  faith,"  he  continued,  "I  will  not  change  it.  Your  own 
God,  as  you  say,  was  put  to  death -by  the  very  men  whom  he 
created.  But  mine,"  he  concluded,  pointing  to  his  Deity, — then, 
sinking  in  glory  behind  the  mountains, — "  my  God  still  lives  in  the 
heavens,  and  looks  down  on  his  children." 

Pizarro  saw  that  the  hour  had  come.  He  waved  a  white  scarf 
in  the  air,  the  appointed  signal.  The  fatal  gun  was  fired  from 
the  fortress.  Then,  springing  into  the  square,  the  Spanish  captain 
and  his  followers  shouted  the  old  war-cry  of  "  St.  Jago  and  at 
them."  It  was  answered  by  the  battle-cry  of  every  Spaniard  in 
the  city,  as,  rushing  from  the  avenues  of  the  great  halls  in  which 
they  were  concealed,  they  poured  into  the  plaza,  horse  and  foot, 
each  in  his  own  dark  column,  and  threw  themselves  into  the  midst 
of  the  Indian  crowd.  The  latter,  taken  by  surprise,  stunned  by 
the  report  of  artillery  and  muskets,  the  echoes  of  which  rever- 
berated like  thunder  from  the  surrounding  buildings,  and  blinded 
by  the  smoke  which  rolled  in  sulphureous  volumes  along  the  square, 
were  seized  with  a  panic.  They  knew  not  whither  to  fly  for  refuge 
from  the  coming  ruin.  Nobles  and  commoners, — all  were  trampled 
down  under  the  fierce  charge  of  the  cavalry,  who  dealt  their  blows, 
right  and  left,  without  sparing,  while  their  swords,  flashing  through 
the  thick  gloom,  carried  dismay  into  the  hearts  of  the  wretched 
natives,  who  now,  for  the  first  time,  saw  the  horse  and  his  rider  in 
all  their  terrors.  They  made  no  resistance, — as,  indeed,  they  had 
no  weapons  with  which  to  make  it.  Every  avenue  to  escape  was 
closed,  for  the  entrance  to  the  square  was  choked  up  with  the  dead 
bodies  of  men  who  had  perished  in  vain  efforts  to  fly  ;  and,  such 
was  the  agony  of  the  survivors  under  the  terrible  pressure  of  their 
assailants,  that  a  large  body  of  Indians,  by  their  convulsive  strug- 
gles, burst  through,  the  wall  of  stone  and  dried  clay  which  formed 


THE  SPANIARDS  IN  PERU.  H7 

part  of  the  boundary  of  the  plaza  !  It  fell,  leaving  an  opening  of 
more  than  a  hundred  paces,  through  which  multitudes  now  found 
their  way  into  the  country,  still  hotly  pursued  by  the  cavalry, 
who,  leaping  the  fallen  rubbish,  hung  on  the  rear  of  the  fugitives, 
striking  them  down  in  all  directions. 

Meanwhile  the  fight,  or  rather  the  massacre,  continued  hot  round 
the  Inca,  whose  person  was  the  great  object  of  the  assault.  His 
faithful  nobles,  rallying  about  him,  threw  themselves  in  the  way  of 
the  assailants,  and  strove  by  tearing  them  from  their  saddles,  or,  at 
least,  by  offering  their  own  bosoms  as  a  mark  for  their  vengeance, 
to  shield  their  beloved  master.  Thus  they  continued  to  force  back 
the  cavaliers,  clinging  to  their  horses  with  dying  grasp,  and,  as  one 
was  cut  down,  another  taking  the  place  of  his  fallen  comrade  with 
a  loyalty  truly  affecting. 

The  Indian  monarch,  stunned  and  bewildered,  saw  his  faithful 
subjects  falling  round  him  without  fully  comprehending  his  situa- 
tion. The  litter  on  which  he  rode  heaved  to  and  fro,  as  the  mighty 
press  swayed  backwards  and  forwards  ;  and  he  gazed  on  the  over- 
whelming ruin,  like  some  forlorn  mariner,  who,  tossed  about  in  his 
bark  by  the  furious  elements,  sees  the  lightning's  flash  and  hears 
the  thunder  bursting  around  him  with  the  consciousness  that  he 
can  do  nothing  to  avert  his  fate.  At  length,  weary  with  the 
work  of  destruction,  the  Spaniards,  as  the  shades  of  evening  grew 
deeper,  felt  afraid  that  the  royal  prize  might,  after  all,  elude  them; 
and  some  of  the  cavaliers  made  a  desperate  attempt  to  end  the 
affray  at  once  by  taking  Atahuallpa's  life.  But  Pizarro,  who  was 
nearest  his  person,  called  out  with  stentorian  voice,  "  Let  no  one, 
who  values  his  life,  strike  at  the  Inca;"  and,  stretching  out  his 
arm  to  shield  him,  received  a  wound  on  the  hand  from  one  of  his 
own  men, — the  only  wound  received  by  a  Spaniard  in  the  action. 

The  number  of  slain  is  reported,  as  usual,  with  great  discrep- 
ancy. Pizarro's  Secretary  says  two  thousand  natives  fell.  A  de- 
scendant of  the  Incas  swells  the  number  to  ten  thousand. 

It  was  not  long  before  Atahuallpa  discovered,  amidst  all  the 
show  of  religious  zeal  in  his  conquerors,  a  lurking  appetite  more 
potent,  in  most  of  their  bosoms,  than  either  religion  or  ambition. 
This  was  the  love  of  gold.  He  determined  to  avail  himself  of  it  to 
procure  his  own  freedom. 

In  the  hope,  therefore,  to  effect  his  purpose,  by  appealing  to  the 
avarice  of  his  keepers,  he  one  day  told  Pizarro,  that  if  he  would  set 


118  APPENDIX. 

him  free,  he  would  engage  to  cover  the  floor  of  the  apartment  on 
which  they  stood  with  gold.  Those  present  listened  with  an  incred- 
ulous smile;  and  as  the  Inca  received  no  apswer,  he  said  with  some 
emphasis,  that  "  he  would  not  merely  cover  the  floor,  but  would  fill 
the  room  with  gold  as  high  as  he  could  reach ;"  and,  standing  on 
tiptoe,  he  stretched  out  his  hand  against  the  wall.  Although  this 
ransom  was  paid,  the  Spaniards  on  some  frivolous  accusation,  sen- 
tenced him  to  death.  When  the  sentence  was  communicated  to 
the  Inca,  he  exclaimed,  "  What  have  I  done,  or  my  children,  that 
I  should  meet  such  a  fate  ?  And  from  your  hands,  too,"  said  he, 
addressing  Pizarro,  "  you,  who  have  met  with  friendship  and  kind- 
ness from  my  people,  with  whom  I  have  shared  my  treasures,  who 
have  received  nothing  but  benefits  from  my  hands!"  In  the  most 
piteous  tones,  he  then  implored  that  his  life  might  be  spared,  prom- 
ising any  guaranty  that  might  be  required  for  the  safety  of  every 
Spaniard  in  the  army,  promising  double  the  ransom  he  had  already 
paid,  if  time  were  only  given  him  to  obtain  it. 

Finding,  however,  that  he  had  no  power  to  turn  his  conqueror 
from  his  purpose,  he  recovered  his  habitual  self-possession,  and 
from  that  moment  submitted  himself  to  his  fate  with  the  courage  of 
an  Indian  warrior. 

CIVILIZATION  AND  THEOLOGY. 

Many  of  these  cruelties  were  committed  by  those  who  prided 
themselves  on  being  in  the  head  and  front  of  the  civilization,  which 
is  claimed  to  have  sprung  from  the  teaching  and  influence  of 
Christian  theology,  but  which,  in  fact,  has  sprung  up  in  these  our 
times — as  it  has,  in  other  times,  in  Egyptian,  Grecian,  Roman  and 
South  American  communities,  under  the  advantages  afforded  by 
the  accumulation  of  wealth  which  goes,  hand  in  hand,  with  mental 
culture  and  the  development  of  the  arts  and  sciences,  each 
fostering  and  forwarding  the  other.  The  discovery  of  the  art  of 
printing  has  been  of  immense  service  in  increasing  and  perpetua- 
ting civilization  in  later  days,  by  diffusing  and  retaining  knowledge 
for  the  benefit  of  each  succeeding  generation,  and  by  bringing  mind 
into  collision  with  mind. 

PRINTING  AND  CIVILIZATION. 

But  the  inventor  ot  the  printing  press  was  denounced  by  the 
Christian  theologians  of  his  day,  as  being  in  league  with  the  devil, 


PRINTING  AND  CIVILIZATION.  119 

inasmuch  as  copies  of  the  Bible  could  be  produced  by  means  of 
printing,  with  a  celerity,  and  in  quantities,  never  before  heard  or 
dreamed  of — thus  leading  the  way  to  the  discovery  of  the  cheat 
which  the  the.ologians  were  practising  on  the  masses.  Now,  how- 
ever, the  Church  authorities  seize  upon  the  evident  and  rapid 
advance  in  intellectual  culture  and  knowledge  in  Christian  coun- 
tries, as  compared  with  others,  and  claim  that  this  is  due 
entirely  to  the  promulgation  of  Christianity  ;  where,  as  it  is  due 
entirely  to  the  circumstance  that  the  printing  press  was  invented 
and  put  into  operation  in  a  Christian  country,  in  despite  of  the 
theologians  who  denounced  it.  That  the  dark  side  of  human 
nature  here  presented,  is  the  exception  and  not  the  general  rule, 
even  in  Christian  countries,  we  freely  admit.  It  is  one  of  the 
objects  of  this  work  to  maintain  that  the  good,  the  true,  and  the 
kind  in  the  human  nature  largely  predominate,  notwithstanding 
the  habit  of  the  clergy  of  representing  unregenerate  man — that  is, 
all  not  within  the  pale  of,  and  paying  tithes  to  the  church — as 
utterly  corrupt  and  having  no  good  in  them.  This  habit  of 
dilating  so  continually  on  the  darker  side  of  human  nature 
amounts  to  a  gross  and  palpable  libel  on  the  species.  Theologians, 
habitually  measuring  character  by  its  aberrations,  and  estimating 
strong  and  passionate  natures  by  their  failings,  rather  than  by  their 
virtues — which  largely  predominate,  have  fallen  into  a  signal 
injustice.  And  this  is  the  more  inexcusable,  inasmuch  as  in  their 
own  sacred  volume,  the  Psalms  of  David  are  a  conspicuous  proof 
how  a  noble,  tender,  and  passionate  nature  could  survive,  even  in 
an  adulterer  and  a  murderer. 

Now,  from  whatever  cause  this  persistent  course  of  the  Christian 
Theologians,  in  representing  man  in  his  natural  state  as  altogether 
under  the  empire  of  evil,  proceeds — whether  from  love  of  denomi- 
nation, interest,  or  other  causes — nothing  can  be  more  certain  than 
that  excellence  and  not  vice  is  prominent  and  distinctive  in  human 
nature  in  its  most  primitive  state. 

The  more  the  intellectual  faculties  are  cultivated  and  lend  their 
aid  to  the  moral  perceptions,  and  kindly  promptings  of  the  heart, 
the  more  rapid  is  the  advance  in  the  pursuit  of  the  good,  the  right, 
and  the  virtuous.  But  good  greatly  preponderates  over  evil,  even 
in  the  incipient  stages  of  human  society.  Benevolence  is  more 
common  than  cruelty.  The  sight  of  suffering  produces  pity,  rather 
than  joy.  Gratitude,  not  ingratitude,  is  the  normal  result  of  a 


120  APPENDIX. 

conferred  benefit.  The  sympathies  of  man  naturally  follow 
heroism  and  goodness.  In  fine,  virtue  and  not  vice — love,  and  not 
hate,  predominate  in  human  nature ;  while  vice  itself  is  usually 
but  an  exaggeration  or  distortion  of  tendencies  that  are  in  their 
own  nature  perfectly  innocent. 

We  have  herein  presented  to  notice  some  of  the  great  crimes 
known  to  history,  that  have  been  committed  by  the  inhabitants  of 
Christian  countries,  who  are  understood  to  have  had  the  benefit  of 
the  teachings  of  the  Church.  And  we  would  remind  those  who 
attempt  to  build  up  Church  interests,  and  prove  its  beneficial 
effects  upon  man,  by  contrasting  the  moral  conduct  of  Christian 
nations  with  that  of  Heathen,  that — when  fairly  made — Christians 
lose  rather  than  gain  by  the  comparison.  As  to  attributing  the 
advanced  state  of  mental  culture  and  civilization  to  the  influence 
of  the  Church,  instead  of  the  art  of  printing,  the  cause  of  truth 
will  be  served  by  calling  attention  to  certain  doings  of  the  Church 
here  given,  before  the  printing  press  came  into  use. 


LIST  OF  BOOKS  CONSULTED, 

AND    FROM    WHICH    EXTRACTS   HAVE   BEEN   MADE. 

l:  Essays  on  the  Language,  Writings  and  Religion  of  the  Parsees,' 

by  Martin  Haug. 
11  Ancient  Faiths  Embodied  in  Ancient  Names,"  by  Thomas  Inman, 

M.  D. 

"  Sangermano's  Burmese  Empire,"  by  Tandy. 
"The  Rig- Veda  Sanhita,"  Translated  by  Wilson  and  Cowell. 
Legge's  "  Life  and  Teachings  of  Confucius." 
Grote's  "  Plato." 
"  The  Ten  Tribes  of  Israel,  and  Mexican  Antiquities,"  by  Mrs. 

Simon. 

11  The  Koran,"  by  George  Sale. 
"  A  Voice  from  the  Ganges." 
"  The  Dervishes,"  by  J.  P.  Brown. 
"  A  Brief  View  of  Greek  Philosophy,"  by  a  Pariah. 
"Philosophical   Theories,   and   Philosophical   Experience,"  by   a 

Pariah. 
The  Works  of   Thomas  Hobbes;    Dugald  Stewart;    John  Stuart 

Mill ;    Lord   Macaulay ;    Dr.    Channing ;    Theodore   Parker  ; 

Humboldt ;  J.  G.  Fichte ;  and  George  Combe. 
"The   Bridgewater  Treatises,"  by  Drs.  Chalmers,  Whewell  and 

others. 

Bishop  Colenso  on  the  Pentateuch. 
Bunsen's  "  God  in  History." 
Buckle's  "  History  of  Civilization  in  England." 
Lecky's  "  History  of  European  Morals,  from  Augustus  to  Charle- 
magne." 

Renan's  "  Life  of  Jesus." 
"  New  Life  of  Jesus,"  by  Strauss. 
"  The  Divine  Government,"  by  Southwood  Smith. 
"  Fellowes'  Religion  of  the  Universe." 
"  The  Universal  Church." 
"  Maurice's  "  Religions  of  the  World.' 


122  APPENDIX. 

McCausland'a  "  Adam  and  the  Adamites." 

"  Vestiges  of  the  Natural  History  of  Creation." 

Prescott'a  "  Conquest  of  Mexico ;"  and  "  of  Peru." 

"  Essays  and  Reviews." 

Draper's  "  Intellectual  Development  of  Europe." 

Hansel's  "  Bampton  Lectures." 

Froude's  "  Short  Studies  on  Great  Subjects.' 

"  Ecce  Homo." 

"  Force  and  Matter,"  by  Louis  Biichner. 

Lewes'  "  History  of  Philosophy." 

"  The  State  of  Man  before  Christianity." 

S.  W.  Hall's  "  Law  of  Impersonation." 

"  Discussion  of  the  Unity,  Duality  and  Trinity  of  the  Godhead." 

Bernard's  "  Cambridge  Free  Thought s." 

Quarterly  Review  on  "The  Talmud." 

F.  W.  Newman's  "  Phases  of  Faith." 

"What  is  Truth?" 

Coupland's  "  Incentives  to  the  Higher  Life. 

Leigh  Hunt's  "  Religion  of  the  Heart." 

"  The  Creed  of  Christendom,"  by  W.  R.  Greg. 

"  The  Method  of  the  Divine  Government,  by  Dr.  McCosh. 

"Pindar,"  and  "Cicero,"  in  Bonn's  Classical  Library. 

"  Indigenous  Races  of  the  Earth." 

Milman's  "History  of  the  Jews;"    "of  Christianity;"  and  "of 

Latin  Christianity." 

"  Chips  from  a  German  Workshop,"  by  Max  Muller. 
D'Aubigne's  "  History  of  the  Reformation." 
"Christ,  and  other  Masters,"  by  Archdeacon  Hardwick. 
Appleton's  Cyclopedia. 


INDEX. 

FAOB. 

PREFACE iii 

INTRODUCTORY v 

Some  pretend  to  inspiration 1 

Signs  and  Creeds  at  variance 3 

Jews  but  little  known 5 

Jesus'  protest  only  partial 7 

Councils  assume  infallible  power 9 

Massacre  of  the  Innocents 11 

Ancient  legends 13 

Incredible  statements  of  the  Old  Testament 15 

Jesus  tempted  of  the  Devil 20 

Divinity  of  Jesus  not  believed 21 

Mythology  of  the  Virgin  Mary 23 

Influence  of  the  Printing  Press 25 

Progress  of  the  Sciences 27 

Infidelity  no  reproach 29 

The  Christian  Heaven 81 

Science  undermining  Theology 33 

A  Protest  against  Theologies 35 

God  all-powerful 37 

The  Teachings  of  the  Book  of  Nature 39 

Labor,  Pain  and  Death,  not  evils 41 

Man's  wonderful  organization 45 

Instances  of  Instinct 47 

Recuperative  Powers  of  Nature 51 

Church  Method  of  Salvation 53 

God's  Method  of  Salvation 55 

Prayer 57 

Fasting  injurious 59 

God's  Laws  all-sufficient 61 

None  destined  to  endless  misery 63 


124  INDEX. 

FAOC 

Moral  Evil 65 

Prayer  the  effect  of  ignorance 67 

The  God  of  Moses 71 

Priestcraft 73 

Influence  of  the  True  Religion 75 

God's  care  for  man 77 

Man's  intellect  expanding 79 

Eternal  happiness 81 

The  Clergy  shall  accept  truth 83 

Moral  Instincts 85 

It  guides  us  unperceived 87 

Good  Works 89 

True  Basis  of  Religion 91 

Early  History  of  Man 93 

Study  of  other  Theologies 95 

Innate  promptings  of  the  heart 97 

The  Devil 99 

Punishment  not  retrospective lOl 

Happiness  of  this  Life 103 

Man's  trust  in  God 105 

Pain — a  blessing 107 

Man's  individuality  hereafter 109 

Limited  free  agency Ill 

God's  laws  unchangeable 113 

Supposed  Saviours 115 

Jesus'  Second  Coming 119 

Man's  craving  for  truth 121 

Yearning  of  the  human  soul 123 

The  Trinity 125 

God's  Laws 127 

Moral  Laws 129 

Conscience 131 

Man's  confidence  in  Nature 135 

The  Moral  Law 137 

Science  the  ally  of  Religion 143 

Providential  interference 145 

Erroneous  Ideas  of  Heaven 147 

Attributes  of  God 149 

God  in  Nature 151 

The  Divine  Character 153 


INDEX.  125 

PACK. 

No  remission  of  penalty 155 

Introduction  to  Bible  Criticism 157 

Vagueness  of  Prophecies 159 

Supernatural  inspiration  incredible 161 

Failure  of  precise  predictions 163 

Different  Parables 165 

Erroneous  deductions 167 

Christianity  not  original 171 

Simplicity  of  True  Religion 173 

Christ's  real  teachings 175 

God's  evil  passions 177 

God  likened  to  man  corporeally 181 

Blind  reliance  on  Scripture 183 

Compounding  for  sin 185 

Adam's  doom  not  spiritual 187 

The  story  of  the  Fall  of  Man 189 

Its  inconsistencies 191 

Bible  account  of  the  Fall  of  Man 193 

Man's  original  condition 197 

Instant  change  in  animal  life 199 

Death  indispensable 201 

The  food  of  animals 203 

Beautiful  Laws  of  Nature 205 

God's  original  laws  unchanged 207 

Origin  of  the  Human  Race 209 

Eternal  Life  is  to  be  earthly 211 

Salvation  not  spiritual 213 

The  World— Past,  Present  aud  Future 217 

Christ's  pretended  Miracles 219 

Some  Miracles  explained 221 

Different  Miracles 225 

Jewish  Tests  of  the  Messiahship 227 

The  Throne  of  David 231 

Jesus'  progressive  ideas 233 

He  becomes  imperious 235 

Object  of  Christ  and  Apostles 237 

Priesthood  naturally  incensed 241 

Christian  Sacrifice  absurd 243 

Jesus  repudiates  it 245 

The  Old  Testament  on  Sacrifice 247 


126  INDEX. 

*ior. 

The.  New  Testament  on  Sacrifice 249 

Christ  denounces  it .253 

Obscurity  of  the  Bible 257 

Sectarian  recrimination  the  result/ 259 

Jesus  did  not  claim  Divinity 261 

His  opinion  cf  himself. 263 

Miracles — the  means  of  Proof  of  his  Divinity 265 

Texts  in  favor  of  One  God  only 267 

Further  proofs 271 

Jesus'  idea  of  his  Mission 275 

No  warrant  for  this  idea 277 

Texts  disproving  Jesus'  Divinity 279 

Jesus'  teaching 281 

Jesus  never  claimed  Divinity 283 

Ingenuity  of  the  Priests 285 

Character  of  Jesus'  Precepts 287 

Ananias  and  Sapphira 293 

Rational  explanations  of  their  death 295 

Threat  of  Eternal  Punishment 297 

Jesus  not  a  Saviour 299 

The  Spirit  of  Man  restless 301 

Belief  in  Jesus 303 

Jesus  as  a  Teacher 305 

No  good  results  from  the  belief  in  the  Divinity  of  Jesus 309 

Working  of  Miracles 313 

Jesus'  teaching  impracticable 315 

Jesus'  code  visionary 319 

The  Arrest  of  Jesus 321 

His  Crucifixion 323 

Jesus'  character 325 

The  Prophecies  in  Revelations 327 

The  Kingdom  of  God  in  the  Soul 329 

The  Apostles  equal  to  Jesus 331 

God  the  Only  Saviour 333 

Worship  of  Jesus 335 

Ceremonies  of  the  Churches 337 

Jesus'  teaching  not  uniform 339 

Jesus'  Second  Advent 341 

Salvation  for  all...  ...343 


INDEX.  127 

APPENDIX. 

PAOI. 

Zoroastrianism  ...............................................................     1 

Mohammedanism  ............................................................     7 

Buddhism  .....................................................................  16 

The  Burmese  .............  .  ...................................................  28 

The  Hindoos  .................................................................  38 

Confucianism  .................................................................  46 

Mexico  and  Peru  ............................................................  61 

The  Talmud  ..................................................................  69 

Egyptian  History  ...........................................................  73 

Stoicism  .......................................................................  77 

Classical  Antiquity  .........................................................  79 

Cicero  ..........................................................................  80 

Pindar  .............................  v  .........................................  81 

Plato  ...........................................................................  82 

Epicurus  ......................................................................  83 

Socrates  ........................................................................  84 

Xenophanes  ...............................................................  ...  86 

Herakleitus  ................................................................  86 

Protagorus  ...................................................................  86 

Grecian  History  .............................................................  86 

Sacred  Book  of  the  Mexicans  ............................................  87 

Extracts  from  "Popol  Vuh"  .............................................  87 

Beliefs  of  the  American  Indians  ........................................  90 

Belief  of  the  New  Hollanders  ...........................................  91 

Belief  of  the  Icelanders  .....................  ..............................  91 

Christian  Theology  no  restraint  ..........................................  02 

Contentions  of  the  Early  Church  .......................................  92 

Later  Crimes  of  the  Church  .............................................  95 

Tke  Crusades  .................................................................  102 

The  Persecution  of  the  Jews  .............................................  104 

Albigensian  War  ............................................................  107 

Persecution  of  the  Heretics  ..............................................  109 

The  Massacre  of  St.  Bartholomew  .......................................  112 

The  Spaniards  in  Mexico  ..................................................  113 

The  Spaniards  in  Peru  ....................................................  115 

Civilization  and  Theology  ................................................  118 

Printing  and  Civilization  .................................................  118 


LIST  OF  BOOKS  CONSULTED 


